A Vampire's Life
by Azlaraazsh
Summary: A world where Harry Potter does not exist and is replaced by Lyria Potter his female counterpart. In this story, the Potter family is a descendant of a vampire family, that lost their powers due to a disease that turned vampires into wizards, if they survived. Lyria at the Dursley's home will suffer a horrible treatment way worse than Harry's. Better and longer summary inside.
1. Summary

Hello Readers,

This is my first story, as you can see on my profile. I always loved vampires, not the pity excuses of vampires like in twilight, no, true vampires. Moreover I am a huge fan of the Harry Potter saga, but I've always thought that it was too much soft for me, so here I am proposing you an alternate version of the Harry Potter saga, with mature contents.

I hope that you will take my warning seriously, because in this story, there will be content that is not destined for sensible souls, that is why I put an M rating. However if this does not repulses you then you are welcome to read my story and enjoy.

I would like to precise that Harry Potter does not belong to me but to J.K Rowling.

Finally, before I let you enjoy this detailed summary, I will let you know that I am French and I am actually finishing my oral exams that will permit me to enter a great engineering school. So this means that for the moment updates will be un-scheduled but this will change after my exams are finished and I will update once a week, or two if I don't have inspiration (This happens sometimes but don't worry ^^ I'll try my best to stay to the schedule)

Well, well off you go enjoying my story.

* * *

Summary :

_In this story, the Potter family is not the pureblood family that we know in the canon storyline, it is a false pureblood family hiding an hideous secret. For three millennia, the Potteria family was an Aristocratic Vampire family that lived in the southern actual Italy, that lived in an little kingdom of only Vampires. However during the eighteenth century, a world scaled Vampire purge occurred when they began to become more and more careless around muggles and causing havoc all around the world in the magical societies too. This caused their race to nearly go into extinction and the very few that survived were either living in seclusion far from any sort of life or laying low in the magical societies trying to melt into the mass of wizards and witches _

_The Potteria family went into extinction, a little bastard branch that was kicked out from their estates and exiled from the family survived in England under the name : Potter. The reason why they were banished was because they caught an incurable sickness that appeared in the late fourteenth century called : Ferveret Sanguis, or the Boiling Blood. This disease caused the Vampires to lose their longevity, their bloodlust and their instincts along with very painful and atrocious pains due to their blood that was boiling inside of their veins._

_Since then the Potter created themselves a new history, a new home, a new reputation and a new gold filled bank. They were known to be the defenders of the poor, the kind hand given to the sick ones and the protectors of the light. Their banishment struck them hard and made them hate their origins even if they still taught it in secret to their descendants in order to fuel this hatred of the 'Dark Creatures'._

_Moreover the Evan family was an ancient but not very influential or wealthy pureblood family, but was nonetheless pureblood. However this changed when the muggle began to hunt down the witches and wizards during the fifteenth and sixteenth century, that caused the major part of the family to die and the other to renounce to their magic and hide into the muggle population forgetting about their legacy to prevent death or torture. After nearly four generations all their magic powers faded away due to the denial of their magic and their stop in using their powers making them then, squibs._

_So in this story, with this little bit of history being builder up from the ground, we can begin to delve into this alternative Harry Potter world. Talking about Harry Potter, well… _

…_.._

_He does simply not exist. But do not worry he is replaced by Lyria Potter a beautiful, incredibly smart, gentle and innocent girl that will have the most terrible adventures and dangers thrown at her face for the most part of her life._

_As for the main couple of this story, brace yourself readers because I think you're not prepared._

_Well I won't hide it because I don't want to and I don't want to have people being disappointed later in the story or heinous ones that will throw a tantrum temper at me for doing this._

_The main pairing will be Lyria Potter and Daphne Greengrass. That's all. Yes I know that by doing that half the potential readers are going to just close this tab and go search for another fanfiction to read because they don't want to read one where we talk about homosexuality._

_I can understand this and I am not bothered at all by this possibility because everyone has the right to think what they want and to read what they feel like reading so no problem. If you want to read then do so and enjoy. If you don't want to then I wish you a good day and to have fun reading another story it was nice to have you here at least for this summary._

_To finish this little summary I wanted to reveal you some important information :_

_First : Dumbledore is a good old man, that lived for so long and is so powerful that sometimes he makes mistake and lose track of time because for him years pass like months. I never really understood this theory where people think that he was evil and knew how Harry was treated at the Dursley's but never did anything. In my opinion he just did not have a better solution and just did what he think would be the best compromise._

_Secondly : The Dark Lord is, well a Dark Lord, not just a villain figure that is only here for the plot. No, in this story, Voldemort is the big tough and evil guy that make everyone piss in their pants at sight. He is really strong and will not be defeated just by an expelliarmus after the destruction of his Horcruxes. Moreover the death eaters also are, for the inner circle, way, way stronger. For example no way that Bellatrix Lestrange could be killed by Molly Weasley even after twelve years in Azkaban._

_Third : Lyria (the female Harry of the story, don't worry you will grow accustomed to it after some time) will suffer a lot, and I mean a lot, physically and psychologically, by the hands of the Dursley._

_Finally : Hogwarts will last eight years in this story, the OWL's will be in fourth year and NEWT's will be in eighth year. Why this change you ask? Well it is simply because, Hogwarts is way too cool to only last seven years, because it makes more sense that your education last the longer possible for you to be ready to enter the adult world and finally because it makes no sense to only start your education at the age of 11 so I will start it at the age of 10, and most of the pureblood and half-blood will already have followed some teachings by tutors._


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One : The Dursley's legacy

The 31st of October of 1981 was a morbid but joyous date for everyone in the english wizarding community because of the fall of the most powerful Dark Lord in history to a young baby girl named Lyria Lily Potter. Daughter of James and Lily Potter, and last heir to the Potter family, she initially had everything to succeed in life. Born in a wealthy and loving family with very intelligent, brave, passionate, gentle and good looking parents, her future could only be a very brightful one.

However this very night, were the war between the Dark Lord's forces and the Ministry of Wizard England along with the citizens, came to an end, her life was thrown into the darkest and most perilous life one could wish to avoid at all cost.

Yet, here she was crying in her little crib at the first floor of the torn apart little mansion in Godric's Hollow where she and her parents were hiding. This was before a believed friend of her parents betrayed them and showed the hideout to his master causing their deaths. This was the main reason of her situation, this was why she was crying despite not understanding the situation she was in because of her young age.

It was at this moment where everything changed for her, this was at this moment that her destiny would be sealed for ever. She was laying there inside her crib next to the blown up body of her mother that had been killed by the Dark Lord that used the bombarda spell. Her body was torn apart and her blood was flowing everywhere it could reach on the floor, some staining the sheets of her daughter's baby bed. While crying, Lyria sucked on her fingers distraught and terrified, her mouth entering in contact with the blood of her mother.

At this very moment her body began to glow a sick crimson red and her skin to grow paler and paler after each seconds that passed until the moment when it suddenly stopped for no reason and she fall asleep peacefully. This was just now that Hagrid entered with a devastated and horrified look on his face at the sight of the dismembered corpse of James Potter at the feet of the stairs and now the torned body of Lily Potter. His only source of relief was that there was at least one survivor and that the Dark Lord had visibly vanished into oblivion judging by the fact that only his clothes remained on the floor along with his wand a clear indication of his disappearance, not being one to go nude outside and let his wand behind him.

After making sure that the baby girl was all right and sound asleep he came back outside and saw Sirius Black waiting inside the house crying himself to death near the corpse of his late best friend and all but blood brother. When he saw Hagrid coming with his goddaughter, he snapped out of his mourning state and swiped his tears away, a look of pure hatred and determination in his eyes before he addressed Hagrid.

"I'm going to make him pay for what he did to them… He will beg me for my forgiveness before I kill him the way he killed them… Take my motorbike and bring her to safety, to Dumbledore while I take care of everything… I'll come back to make sure she is okay in a few hours after I finished my business with him."

"Uhm … Well ya know what to do and not to do Sirius… Don't worry about the girl I'll bring her to professor Dumbledore this instant" Responded Hagrid before climbing on the motorbike and ascending to the sky while Black changed into a strong black dog and ran away in the forest.

* * *

_Hours later, Surrey, Little Whinging, Privet Drive, number four._

* * *

After hours of flying above England, Hagrid landed loudly on the street but strangely enough did not wake anyone in this all so normal muggle agglomeration. All the lights were turned off and the street was now as quiet as a cemetery, making Hagrid a little cautious.

When he was about to call for his benefactor, the old man showed himself from a bench behind the bushes. His eyes were sad and he had never seemed so old than at the moment his eyes looked to the small child in Hagrid's arms.

Alongside him appeared from her cat form professor McGonagall, that gracefully changed back into a human. She looked like she had cried, whether it was from joy or sadness he did not know. Her eyes were puffy and red, her skin seemed to be paler than usual. Her face seemed to lighten a little bit at seeing Lyria Potter.

"Well Hagrid… Was the trip safe and calm?" Asked the Headmaster .

"Everything was fine, the little girl was already asleep when I arrived there" Explained Hagrid while passing the Potter heiress to the Headmaster "I think she look relatively fine except for the scar on her collarbone and her pale skin."

"Yes you're right, it might be an after effect of surviving the killing curse… But I can't be sure because it never happened before… I will think about it but for now it would be wise to let her in the care of her only family" Said the old man pensievely while looking at the aquarius-like scar going from a shoulder to the other.

"No Albus… I told you everything I saw about those people, they will be a disastrous family for her… They are nothing like us, they hate everything that is even slightly different or magic related" Exclaimed Minerva under the tired look of her old mentor.

"I heard all of what you said to me… Yet it is the only solution, to hide in the muggle world waiting for the time where the death eater will be stopped is the best action for her safety… I know it won't be a loving household but they are human beings and even if they don't act with her like family she will at least have a secured shelter, food, water and an exterior influence to balance her worldly fame" Explained calmly sighing Albus Dumbledore.

"Yes but …" Started once again McGonagall before being stopped by the stern look of an errinted powerful wizard.

"What other option do you propose instead of this one then Minerva… I asked you a question, He continued after she stayed aghast for a minute searching for a better solution including the safety and love of the young girl, Well it seems that you don't have a better solution so we will proceed as I said but if you want me to, I'll place sensors spell on her to assure myself of her well being and I will act upon those if needed."

"Uhm… Fine… You're right Albus and please do so" Acquiesced the cat woman while Albus placed the child under the doorway of number 4, before he placed a letter on her, finally revealing the Elder Wand and firing some sensors spell on the last Potter.

"You know Minerva… I too, only have her best interest at mind even if you think otherwise… I never had the chance of having children myself but the Potter were to me like a second family, Charlus Potter the great grandfather of James was a childhood friend of mine and a brilliant man from a loving and powerful family, when he and two of his sons died during the war against Grindelwald, I made a promise to myself to protect the last heirs of his bloodline in respect of his memory… I already felt like I betrayed this promise when Fleamont died during the first war… And I feel like I betrayed it tonight as well with the death of James… If something happened to young Lyria, I wouldn't be able to look at myself in a glass for the rest of my life" Told her the one hundred and forty two years old Headmaster .

"I'm sorry Albus… I knew the Potter were good friends of yours… I shouldn't have make you remember those painful memories" Apologised the transfiguration mistress while Hagrid felt all the more respect for his old mentor.

"It's nothing Minerva… I'm in fact glad that the well-being of young Lyria is the first thing that is on your mind and not to party all around England to celebrate the death of Voldemort… It seems like our presence here is not required anymore."

And just like that they were gone and all the night lights in the street turned on like nothing happened. At this very moment a woman awoke at the first floor of the number 4, like on autopilot, she went downstairs and opened the door before her eyes regained a sense of life and she realised where she was, standing in her doorway looking at the floor where was a baby girl draped in expensive and refined tissues with a letter on top of her.

_"What is the meaning of this… Who would there be a baby on at the front of my house at this hour… And this letter, this handwriting, this ink… Why would this crazy and horrendous old man dispose of a child with a letter on MY doorway" _Thought Petunia Dursley while eyeing carefully and afraid the baby and the letter unsure of what to do.

After what felt like an hour, she decided that she could not let her outside or the neighbors would soon see her and start gossiping about why Petunia Dursley had a child out on her doorway at this hour.

Thus she reluctantly took the child in her arms and touched her forehead to see her face. She shrieked when her skin came in contact with the girl's skin because it was colder than anything she had ever touched on her life and also because of the warm glowing emerald green orb that had just opened and stared at her. The high intonated sound had woken up her husband and he started asked if she was alright.

"I'm fine honey… But please can you come here… We have a major problem that just fall upon us like a curse" She said desperately trying to find a way to announce the arrival of this little girl in their household. Then she looked back at the letter and thought that maybe this would be a clue.

While Vernon Dursley was coming heavily downstairs, she placed the child in the armchair of the living room and read the letter in which Dumbledore described in every details what happened in the past two years and this night then how he expected her family to take good care of the daughter of her sister.

When Vernon arrived and saw the look of pure horror on the face his wife he came by her side and read the letter once then his gaze leveled up to set upon the girl in his armchair his face contorted in a disgusted frown and his body was sparked by a wave of hatred at her sight.

_"Oh how much did he hated those abnormal, disgusting and dangerous freaks"_ Thought Vernon before he addressed once again to his wife.

"I will not take care of this little freak nor will I use even a single penny to nourish her… Am I clear Petunia ?" He asked furiously red and boiling on the inside.

"Clear as water honey… Don't worry about it… There is a bill with the letter that will compensate everything we will have to buy her in the future."

"There is money with this freak ?! Well that rich of them ! They think they can buy us to take care of her like babysitters ! This will not happen ! This money will in our account tomorrow at first hour and this will pay as a compensation for her resting under our roof but nothing more !" Screamed outraged the Dursley patriarch while taking the money in front his horrified wife, and going back to bed.

Petunia hated her sister for everything she had that Petunia did not possessed, however she couldn't bear what she just withstanded here. That her husband would let an innocent and orphan little girl die without any remorse if he could help it repulsed her and made her hairs go up on her head. Despite all the hate she had for he sister and her husband she could not abandon family or treat family like a disposable being.

She approached the little girl carefully and took her in her arms. She seemed so calm and so sweet with her round and joyous features, her skin looked immaculate like porcelain, her hairs were silky and raven black feeling like clear water when she passed her fingers through them. What truly catches Petunia's attention was that her eyes were even more beautiful than Lily's ones, the most beautiful she thought she would have the chance to see in her whole life.

She was so much alike to her sister when she looked at her more carefully, her perfect forehead, her eyes, her red and small lips, her already drawn eyebrows and her long eyelashes. However she also saw her noble heritage from her father's side with high cheekbones, a perfect and fine nose and a little perfect chin. The mixing of her parents was perfect and Petunia could not stop staring at her niece but when she came to touch her cheek once again she felt for the second time her coldness and came to the conclusion that the baby really needed a good hot bath.

So she proceeded as such and made a bath, telling Vernon that she needed to take one, to ease him and stop him from preventing her to give the freezing baby a bath. Once the bath was ready she quietly bathed the little girl and enjoyed the pleasure of having a baby girl to take care of.

She always wanted to have a girl, of course she was happy to have her duddykins, but having a daughter was different like she was able to give her everything she never had when being herself a little girl. She saw with pain in her eyes the aquarius sign like burning red scar that went from a shoulder to another on her collarbone and frown remembering how it appeared. After this she quickly finished to bath her and put her in the same clothes as before not having any for her at the moment.

When she put the girl into an improvised crib in the living room a wave of sorrow and hate washed over her as she saw the little girl falling asleep.

_"How can I love this child that is the offspring of the sister I hated for my whole life and her abnormal husband… This is maybe another of those freaks spell. I need to stay vigilant and make a clear separation between her and Dudley or this will be anarchy here." _Thought the afraid and panicked women while going back to her bed and fall asleep.

It was quite interesting to see that when afraid to death or when facing something that they did not understand at all, people would have the most destructive or silly reaction. This fear of the wizard kind that plagued the mind of Vernon Dursley would not be of good omen for the future of Lyria Potter.

* * *

_Seven years later_

* * *

Lyria Potter the girl that was in the dream of every boy at her primary school, the perfect student that never had anything but a perfect score in each subject at school that was the trophy of the teachers, was actually being bullied by her whale of a cousin in a street behind the school. Not being as dumb as everyone think he was, Dudley Dursley quickly understood that with her reputation and her good looks his cousin would not be someone to mess with at school if he wanted to avoid problems.

However he also came with another plan in mind to make her pay for her 'bossiness', her 'Miss Perfect' little persona. If he couldn't do it at home because her mother wouldn't let him do so or do it at school because of the teacher, he just had to do it on the way home. This little plan as simple as it was worked wonderfully and there wasn't a day where he couldn't treat her like the freak she was. Each adding a new bruise to her perfect pale skin, each day making her remember how inferior she was to him, how she did not deserve to live under the same floor as him and how she should have died with her parents in the car crash like the drunken bunch of freaks they were.

Days after days, she suffered from her cousin and her uncle, each of them taking great pleasure in making her feel pain either physically or mentally.

How many days did she nearly starved to death in her cupboards under the stairs, or how many days did she had to pass under the burning sunlight taking care of the whole garden even when they knew her skin could not support a long exposure to the sun Ray's. How many days did she had to live through were she could not see the daylight because of a punishment with a fallacious excuse from her cousin. How many days did she nearly died being choked by her drunken uncle that was releasing all his stress beating the hell out of her.

Yet here she was alive and nearly conscious on the floor of a dark street being beaten furiously by her cousin that did not ever cared to avoid the visible parts of her body. Each time she went to school she had to put on makeup in order to hide the bruises with the best of her abilities. Each time one was seen by her teachers she had to make up an excuse in order to avoid the wrath of her uncle.

This situation started when she was four, the day her aunt died because of an unknown illness. This day, her uncle fell into the darkness of alcohol and drugs and started to unleash his misery on her like she was the source of all his problems and failures. The only wall that existed between her and her uncle's tantrums was her aunt, so the day she died, her whole world shattered.

Some days, her uncle would not be home but at the pub instead and those days were blessings to her even if it meant that she would suffer from her cousin instead. She preferred to be hit by him than by his father because of the weight gradient between the two and the pure hate that was behind them, where Dudley only hit her for the pleasure of testing his strength.

However today was not one of those days she called blessings. Today she stayed at school the longer she could to avoid Dudley but he had waited for her an entire hour just to be able to beat her on the way back home. Then he left her there where she was whimpering in pain and she had to nearly crawl to her house because of the pain. Then when she came back at number 4, ten minutes too late, doom was unleashed upon her.

Today was the day her parents died seven years ago, today was the day her aunt died four years ago and today would be the day she would most probably die if the look that distorted her uncle's face was a divine sign. When he saw her late on this cursed day, already drunk for at least an hour, smelling like a dead rat, his face red from the alcohol and hatred, a bottle of whiskey in his hand and a belt in the other, he snapped on this inside.

He took her by the collar of the rags that were her clothes for the past four years and slammed her against the front door, smashing her head against it so hard that she thought she would have died only after one blow. He continued to smash her against it for a minute before throwing her inside the living room landing painfully on her right arm and hips, breaking her arm in a muffled crack.

When Dudley saw her flying through the door, he quietly hid behind the sofa trying to escape his mad father that couldn't make a difference between him and his cousin when he had taken this much alcohol and the strange liquids that he injected himself with a needle. He was like a mad man, and even him knew that what he was doing to her cousin was punishable by law, but what his father was doing here was torture and probably in a few minutes a murder.

Vernon entered the room and lifted Lyria from the floor behind flapping her so hard that her head snapped, her cervical cracked and she fell to the floor instantly, barely staying conscious. Though he was relentless, he crouched and hit her in the face once, twice with his bear like fist before throwing her on the sofa. There she tried to crawl out of his reach fearing for her life. She was desperate to escape, anywhere was safer than here. Her breath was uneven and she as in pure panicky mode, her fear was so deep that the unbearable pain from all her limbs was dulled by it.

When she thought she had managed to flee from him, she felt his enormous hand clench on her ankle and tract her back to him, dislocating her ankle at the same time causing her to let out a ear piercing scream of pain. One that made the blood of the coward Dudley freeze in his veins, hiding not a meter away from her. The Dursley patriarch grabbed her clothes and torn them into pieces, living top naked in front of him.

Being in a state of depravity and being less and less alike a human being after each second that passed, he felt aroused by her child body, this sick pleasure and disgusting thoughts that were forming into his mind were easily visible from Lyria's point of view and her panicked grew even wider. Her uncle's seeing her trying frantically to escape hit her in the face with all his strength and placed his hands around her little neck.

Her eyes grew wide, tears flowed from her eyes and she tried to scream him to stop, to beg him but no sounds came out as he began to choke her. Her head was under so much pressure that she thought her head would explode, her lungs were empty and aching like hell, her throat was a burning hell. She wished that she would have the right to die this instant to stop the pain.

But she did not die. He stopped choking her. She took deep breaths, trying to ignore the killing pain that hit her in waves at each flow of air. But soon all air left her lungs once again. Vernon had hit her so hard in the ribs that he broke three of them in one blow making her vomit the meagre meal that she had today.

Choking on her vomit, she had no time to recover as he began to use her as a punching ball, hitting her belly again and again and again, turning her skin a sick violet color. As her voice was hoarse and her throat so damaged that she couldn't even scream anymore one of the blows hit her harder than the other and this made her mind stop. She felt it. Something inside her body had been damaged beyond repair.

Vernon stopped hitting her and she thought that maybe it was because he thought she was dead. However all, thoughts of mercy or hope left her right away when she heard her uncle growl like an animal and saw him unbelt his pants. She couldn't even move away from him because of the pain and the fact that her uncle sat on her legs. When he elevated from her legs, he took her uniform skirt and tore it apart, her panties following the same fate a second later.

She knew what was coming for her and she could do nothing, he spread her legs and aimed at her sacred entrance. Then she felt it, he had not stopped, despite her silent prayers, her tears, her pain, he had not stopped. He had dared to rape her. He had dared defile her.

And once again, she felt something under her skin, under her limbs, coming from somewhere so deep inside her being, that she could not define it, like it was her core. She felt different. Behind the absolute pain, the unbearable humiliation, the nauseous disgust, she felt something when she saw all her blood on his hands. Her blood on his hideous organ.

Her blood...

Her own blood…

Her life fluid was leaving her…

Her virginity had been stolen from her…

At this very moment her eyes began to glow and her body began to grow colder and colder until the point were the sofa started to be covered in freeze. Vernon started to become wild as the temperature was so cold his brain did not even worked at all. All he saw was the glowing green emerald looking at him with so much hatred and killing intent that if he could, he would have he urinated on himself, when he saw her strange sharp canines grinding on each other.

He always thought that her canines were too prominent for them to be normal but no one seemed to agree with him and said that some human had longer ones than others. But at this moment where she opened her mouth wide to bite him like an enraged dog would, he felt that they were nothing normal.

Lyria bit his arm with all the strength her jaws could provide her and sucked on it like it was the most natural thing for her to do at this moment. His screams of pain seemed to be coming from so far in the state she was now. She no longer felt pain, only a need. A deep need to make him suffer and dry him of his blood.

And that she did. She let his arm go only to jump at his neck to bite it so hard that she felt his veins and arteries being ripped apart. His body went slowly numb and his fist that were trying to hit her moment ago to make her stop unclunched and fell on his sides. Sucked the life out was right. He was dead for sure and it brought her so much pleasure and relief to know that he was dead that she felt sick just by this very thought.

She just killed her uncle and she felt only relief, even pleasure from it. Something was wrong with her. Maybe her uncle was only right after all. She was a freak. She was an anomaly. When he tried to kill her, maybe he was trying to make the world better with her death.

She felt so sick that she vomited and emptied her whole stomach. But only blood came out as it was the only thing she had for days in herself. All of her uncle's blood.

Blood….

On her…

On the floor…

Everywhere…

On the walls…

In her mouth…

In her stomach…

In her womb…

She felt light headed and the world started to spin around her. She clawed at her forearms skin to feel pain and stay grounded to the living world.

She didn't even hear that the screams of panic and fear of Dudley had stopped, not even that the door of the living room had opened to reveal that someone was standing in the doorway looking taken aback by the morbid spectacle before his eyes. Just like that after trying to stay conscious for over a minute she fall into darkness only feeling the hellish pain coming back with full force.

From the other side of the room stood none other than Albus Dumbledore. The old man had been disturbed the whole day by an instrument in his office that was going wild, something that never happened before. This object was the one that was monitoring the living state of Lyria Potter and this made him leave his office at the very moment he understood the meaning of its buzzing.

He had made promise to himself to go and see if the girl was alright once a month and he had done so the first three years. From everything he saw, he was not satisfied but it was livable and decent. Her aunt was taking care of her and opposed herself to her husband on a regular basis to keep Lyria's life bearable and correct. So as his scheduled became tighter and tighter he had to stop coming so often and the fourth year he only came once as was the fifth year and not much seemed to have changed from what he saw even knowing that Petunia died, the girl seemed to be ok and not suffer.

He then did not have any spare time to go and see her when he had to take over the post of supreme Mugwump of the ICW. He did not came to see her in the last three years and with what he had before his eyes at this instant, he understood that it was one of the biggest mistake of his life.

Vernon Dursley was dead, his body empty of every drop of blood, his son was a mess because of it and had been stunned by himself, but the worst was Lyria. Even in his really long and war parsemed life, he never saw another human being in such a disastrous state. He casted all the monitoring and healing diagnoses spells that he new and was even more horrified by the results he was receiving.

Ultra low body temperature, major blood loss, uncountable number of bruises, five ribs, a radius, a collarbone and a cheekbone broken, damaged organs, internal hemorrhage and destroyed ovaries beyond repair making her unable to bear children in the future. It was one of the few times in his life where he did not know what to do.

If he went to they would asked why the Girl-who-lived was in such a state and even he did not know because he had been lenient. If he went to search Poppy Pomfrey's help she would kill him before saving the Potter heiress. If he went to Minerva it would be the same scenario. That only left him with one option, bringing her to the ancestral Potter Castle and hope that some house elves still lived there and that with their magic, they would be able to save and help her, he knew that the family magic that surrounded the ancient estate of the pureblood families helped those with the same blood in many ways.

He made his choice, he vanished the body of Vernon Dursley and used a very powerful spell that had the effect to erase him from the memory of everyone that knew him even if they just saw him once in their lives during less than a second. Moreover he erased the memories young Dudley and made him think that he was an orphan and that he went lost on the way to the orphanage, a memory that everyone would think was true in the muggle world. This powerful spells dried him from a lot of his magical reserves but he still had a lot of work to do. With one swift of his wand, everything in the house was replaced as it was before the Dursley even came to live in here and no trace of Lyria's passage remained, even if there weren't a lot of them before.

Then he thought of a way to carry Lyria with him without killing her in the process. Apparition was then immediately out of question, then flying on a broom might be too long to save her as was any muggle way of transport. So he chose to make a portkey out of a spoon and place it in Lyria's hand before taking the top between two of his fingers.

Then the world began to go crazy around him and landscapes succeed to one another before he landed softly in a gravel courtyard surrounded by a garden 'à la française' and in front of it was the small Castle Potter, that only was small at a castle scale because it had a two hundred square meter area and was a two story castle. He did not take his time to observe the castle even of it had been seven years since he last saw it.

He cast the mobilicorpus spell on Lyria and proceeded to make her enter the house of her ancestors. He was glad that the ward still allowed him to enter the house, he had no doubt that he could enter the grounds of the property but the house he wasn't sure.

Once inside he was assaulted by two old house elves that were at the ready to confront anyone that breached the door of their late master's noble castle.

"Who are you to enter this Castle ! State your name and your intentions or we will act upon our late master's order to prevent anybody from entering his house !" Said one of them.

"Hello Pixi, I'm Albus Dumbledore the old Headmaster of Fleamont and James Potter a friend Charlus Potter and the legal guardian of Lyria Potter last heir to the Potter family, here" Explained Dumbledore showing the destroyed body of the young Potter.

"Mistress is back ! Mistress is back! Mistress Lyria is back !" Cheered one of the elves before stopping his ranting when he saw the state in which she was.

"What happened to the young Mistress Headmaster Dumbledore ?!" Asked harshly one the creatures.

"I will explain later what happen when I will myself know exactly what happened but for now I beg you two to do something for her, it is a question of life or death", Kneeled the great Albus Dumbledore, most powerful wizard of his time, in front of two simple house elves imploring their help.

"We will definitely save the young Mistress !" Assured the two elves before making her disappear and vanishing too, to begin treating her in urgency.

"What have I done… Never in my life did I fail this much someone… Nothing I will do will be able to erase those memories… Because I can't erase them, not to her, this would be a violation of her mind and soul… I can just be here when she wakes up and listen to her, let her insult me or hit for everything that happened to her that is my fault…"

Like this Albus Dumbledore went back to his office in Hogwarts and went to sleep immediately in order to be at the Potter residence at the first hour of the day despite all the work he had to do. With such a failure as a human being, he felt like no work was as important as being there to take care of the Potter heiress.

* * *

_The following morning - Potter Castle_

* * *

The Headmaster of Hogwarts appeared in front the main door and entered the house. Then he called for the house elves waiting patiently for a response. After ten minutes he began to think that maybe even after eight hours of surgery, they still were taking care of Lyria's wound.

This thought made him shiver and sorrow was written on his face and he seemed to be really old at this instant. He waited two long hours in silence, sitting on a sofa in the reception room, waiting for one of the elves to come and fetch him. When he began to lose hope of ever seeing the last Potter again, a distinctive crack sound could be heard at the other end of the room. He lifted his head observed the frowned features of the one responding to the name of Pixi.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, the young mistress is alive and safe. We have secured her life and made sure that everything that was repairable had been repaired. However some of her injuries, even with our special magic, need time to heal properly. She have of a terrible cerebral commotion and a major blood loss, and it will take time for her to readjust this. What is the most alarming though is that she will not be able to bear any child in the future and we are not sure whether or not she will be able to talk once again because of the damage of her vocal strings" Detailed Pixi under the devastated gaze of the eldest Dumbledore.

"Are you sure she will be alright omitting those two facts ? Will she live normally ? Or is there any psychological definitive damages ?" Inquired the old man.

"We cannot say anything for now, she is still unconscious."

"Ah… I see… Then I will go back to my office to get the work done… Is it possible to ask one of you to tell me when she is awake… If she agrees to see me, I would have a lot things to apologise to her…"

"We will do so, but the decision to see you is to the young Mistress to take" Told him the elves without flinching.

"Of course… After all if she is in this situation it is entirely my fault… And only mine… Well I'm off then…"

Once again he went back to his office, without having lifted the enormous weight that was on his heart and without having explained his reasons to his protege. He worked harder than ever before on all his paperworks and duties to have free time when needed to go back there.

_Hours later_

Far away from Hogwarts, in a blue, emerald and gold coloured bedroom, layed Lyria Potter. She was in a four poster king size bed, the ice blue velour curtains were closed to prevent any light from entering her shelter. The ceiling of her bed was an embroidery depicting the eden garden and it was a beautiful piece of art. The mahogany used for the bed and the quality of the sheets showed the wealth of the Potter family.

This was on this embroidered ceiling that her gaze concentrated when she painfully opened her eyes for the first time in two days. She felt pain everywhere in her body, but it seemed to be dulled by something. What ached the most though was her neck and her belly. She couldn't move her neck at all so she stayed like this observing the ceiling and contemplating the piece of art.

She did not know where she was nor how she ended up here but it did not matter at the moment. She was in the most comfy and large bed she had ever seen, the temperature was perfect, the sheets were silky and of the most agreeable tissues, the sun was blocked by the beautiful curtains and she felt at home for the first time in her a life for an odd reason.

She was completely relaxed. If she was here without being attached, that her pain was dulled like after taking morphine and that no one bothered her then it could only mean that the one that hosted her at the moment only wanted her best for the moment. So she just remained there enjoying her rest. She didn't know for how long she would be at peace, praying that it would last forever.

As if she was doomed or cursed, her wish went into the void when only one minute later the door opened. She faked to be asleep, afraid if what could happen to her if she was found awake. She hear small feet tapping the floor, coming forward closer and closer to her. She began to panicked once again, her breath went uneven and sweat began to appear on her forehead and back. She thought she was going to freak out when she heard it. A little high hitch voice calm and reassuring that seemed to only wish her well being.

"Mistress still is not awake… I hope she will be fine after all we have tried to save her… Don't worry Mistress Lyria, Pixi and Fily are going to take care of you… No one is going to touch you ever again we promise to protect you" Said the gentle voice, this words made her cry silently, this much compassion and care were not something she was used to.

"Thank… you… " she whispered without noticing the sound escaped her mouth before the pain washed through her from her sore and heavily bruised throat.

"Mistress ?... Mistress ?... Are you awake ?... Don't be afraid of me, I am your humble servant… I only wish the best for you because you are my late Master's daughter and my new Mistress… " With this words, Lyria opened "er eyes and she tried to look at the person that was talking to her but she did not managed to do it because of her painful neck.

"Who … are… you…"

"My name is Fily and I am one of your house elves… Oh no ! Don't try to move your neck it is still damaged and you need to rest… I'll climb on the bed if you want me to appear in front of you…" Continued the voice.

"Climb then… But don't… come near… me… Please… " Accepted still afraid.

"As you wish Mistress Lyria", She felt something small and light climb on the bed and then her body felt light too, elevated from the cushions then she arrived in a sitting position. And she saw him… It… Or whatever it was.

"Wh… What are you… You… You're not human… Are you ?" Asked taken aback the raven haired girl, her voice so hoarse and painful that each word felt like knives were piercing her throat.

"Oh no of course I'm not, I'm a house elf, He said proudly before seeing the eyebrows of his mistress frowning, I assume you don't know anything about magic, do you Mistress ?"

"I'm completely... lost… Can… Can you… enlighten me... please ?" Shyly responded Lyria before coughing loudly, spitting blood in the process, her eyes full of tears because of the pain.

"Don't force yourself to talk Mistress, Fily is a bad elf to cause pain to his Mistress ! Please take some rest, relax and return to sleep. I'll tell you whatever you want after you took some good rest and you can stay awake without being in so much pain" He said before snapping his fingers making her fall asleep instantly.

The house elf then immediately cleaned the sheets, climbed down the bed, closed the curtains and walked to the door before wishing a good night to his Mistress. He already live her very much despite the little time he had known her. After all, he was the one that helped her mother give birth so it was only natural for him to like her.

He snapped his fingers and appeared inside the Headmaster's office only making him look past his glasses and raise an at the sudden intrusion. Then he recognised him as one of the Potter's house elves and looked at him curiously.

"The young Mistress has awaken but she was in so much pain that I had to send her back to sleep… We will continue to heal her for some times and then only then you will be able to meet her Headmaster , for now she is not ready… She suffers too much for the moment" Announced the house elf depressed. Albus only nodded and returned to work as the house elf disappeared once again.

* * *

While he was working on his paperwork, his mind was wandering elsewhere thinking about his old friend Charlus Potter, a man that had been his only childhood friend, a man that was less talented than him but that was the best and most influential politician he ever saw. He was able just by saying some few words to convince the people that he was the man they needed and galvanize a crowd to the point where they could go to war and die for him.

He also was the man that stayed the longest at the post of Minister for Magical Britain for the longest period. He was a true leader and was the only man that Albus ever truly admired for what he was. Under his rule, magical Britain made its greatest jump in time, accepting revolutionary laws and rules that completely changed the archaic and bigoted society of the past that had stayed with the traditions of the thirteenth century.

Albus made a summary of his relationship with the Potter and saw that each time they needed him the most, he had failed them. Because he was a coward and was afraid to fight Grindelwald even after destroying the blood pact between them, Charlus, Fleamont and his two eldest sons died by the hand of the german Dark Lord.

When James needed him to hide and protect his family he gave it to him with the best of his abilities but overseeing the fact that there was a traitor among them causing their death.

Finally when Lyria needed the safest and most loving childhood ever, he in fact gave her the worst possible experience of life. He imagined that she was psychologically devastated now. Being tortured like she was for he did not know how many years, being nearly beaten to death, being nearly raped by her own uncle, treated like a slave and a parasite by her relatives. He would not even blame her if she ended up becoming the next Dark Lady in the future years to come.

Of course he did not surrendered yet, however he could not deny that he had failed her so hard and made her live through so much atrocities that maybe he had destroyed everything that was good in her. She most probably hated the muggles now and even then the wizards that put her in the lion's den, when she will hear about the wizards.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he did not hear that someone had been knocking for five minutes now. Only when he heard his name being nearly screamed throughout the door did he reacted.

"PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE !" Insisted the slightly unnerved voice of his transfiguration teacher.

"Yes yes Minerva come in !" Sighed the old man coming back to the real world and looking at the cat like woman entering and looking sternly at him.

"I thought I would have to wait at your door for an hour Albus" She ticked.

"Please excuse me my dear but I was lost in memories of a better time" He lied while putting on his grandfather smile on his face.

"Not to me Albus, I can see that something is bothering you" Continued sternly the Scottish woman.

"Well yes something is bothering me but it is not the point… Why did you came here Minerva ? What can I do for you ?"

"Hum… I came her because I was wondering if you had seen Lyria Potter this past years, it was on my mind for a long time now but I was surprised to not hear news of her from you for three years. I thought until now that you just never had the chance to talk about it to me but I just wanted to know if everything was… alright ?" She had never seen before the face of her mentor decomposed itself gradually like that for at least half a century. She instantly knew that something was wrong.

"Of all the subjects that you had to come and discuss with it was this one that you had to choose… Maybe it is fate knocking at my door after all" Sighed the most powerful wizard of the century.

"What is wrong with the grill Albus… And don't lie to me or I will know it" Asked coldly the cat woman sensing that she would not like what she was about to hear.

"There is no reason to hide the truth from you … This is what I know for now… " Dumbledore explained everything that he knew from his point of view and then waited for her to explode. For that he did not needed to wait for too long.

"Albus… Do you realise that you probably purely destroyed her putting her in this household… Do you even imagine what she had to go through there ?... DO YOU EVEN REALISE IN WHICH STATE SHE MIGHT BE NOW! DO YOU THINK THAT ANY CHILD SHOULD HAVE TO FACE THIS ATROCITIES THAT EVEN MAKE SHIVER FULLY GROWN AND POWERFUL ADULTS ! IS THAT ALL! DON'T YOU HAVE NO SHAME ALBUS !"

"DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE I DID NOT KNOW THIS ALREADY ! NEVER IN MY LIFE DID I HATED MYSELF AS MUCH AS I DO NOW ! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO TELL ME THIS ! DON'T YOU THINK I AM THE ONE WHO KNOWS BEST WHAT HAPPENED TO HER AND HOW MUCH SHE SUFFERED ! DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME THAT I AM EMOTIONLESS I HAD A SISTER THAT DIED BECAUSE OF PHYSICAL VIOLENCE !"

"THEN HOW COULD YOU MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE ONCE AGAIN ! ARE SO FULL OF YOURSELF THAT YOU THOUGHT THIS WOULD NOT HAPPEN AGAIN !"

BOOM !

A canon like sound escaped the wand of the eldest Dumbledore, his trembling, and this shutted up his transfiguration professor in an instant. She was taken aback by such a violent reaction, never before had she saw the great Albus Dumbledore lose its temper even during the most dire straights of war. But the man she face now was the shadow of her mentor.

"Ariana's life was a living hell because of those muggles bullies, she ended up being an obscurus because of them… It was all my fault for not protecting her… For being away from her… All my fault… And I let it happen to young Lyria too… But this time… This time I will most definitely save her… I will do everything in my power to ensure her well being from now on… Never again will she face such horrendous situations… Of that I swear upon my magic to protect and help Lyria Potter with the full power of my abilities and powers, so more it be" Swore the old man while keeping in his hand the Elder Wand. The transfiguration mistress was so shocked that she did not even noticed that she had sit down.

"What… Did you… Did you just… Swore an oath on your magic… To Lyria Potter…"

"Yes that is exactly what I just did", Said lifeless the old man before he took his head in his hands.

"Albus …"

"I explained to you everything I know for the moment… I will ask you to leave me alone for the night, please."

"Yes… Of course, goodnight Albus."

"Goodnight Minerva… Goodnight."

Like this the transfiguration mistress exited the office and wandered in the corridors of Hogwarts for a moment her mind overthinking on the informations she just received before going back to her quarters.

In the Headmaster's case, he was just sitting at his desk, his head in his hands, eyes closed, thinking about what he could do to protect his charge in the future that was awaiting whether she forgive him or not.

For the moment, the death eaters were no longer a threat in the position in which they were at the moment. Even with their connections in the ministry, their money and their political power, they could not attempt anything against her. This was a huge change from eight years later. In the past his decision was motivated with the fact that no household even those of the most powerful families were not out of reach of the death waters even after the fall of the Dark Lord.

The Bones, the Longbottom, the Macmillan, all three were powerful houses that were nearly destroyed by only death eaters that wanted to continue their master's plans and his legacy. Now things had changed and a sort of peace was reigning so keeping Lyria in the wizarding world seemed like a possibility now. Moreover he was in a state where he only had to care for her and not try to protect everyone like he had to during the war and at the end of it with only the remaining member of the order.

He felt like now was a good time to accustom Lyria slowly and peacefully to the wizarding world. However something felt wrong with the girl, when she defended herself against Vernon, even if he didn't saw it, it seemed like the man had been dried from its blood. This was no common magic to be able to accidentally use blood magic, that was one of the rarest and difficult branch of magic.

He felt like he had to investigate on the Potter family to try and see if this was in the past a common ability of them. So he stood up and went to his proper library searching for ancient and noble families. When he found the book that he wanted to look into, he grabbed it and went back to his desk to begin reading it.

He turned the pages to P and started to search for Potter. He passed in front of Parkinson, Patil, Peverell, Purcell, Prewett and the Potter. There he read only the section that talked about unique abilities of a family if there were one but he found that they had none. Intrigued he read the part where their history was written. There he saw they appeared in England in the fourteenth century and came from Italy before that. He searched then in a book with the nobles families of Italy and found none of them being named Potter.

All the more surprised and intrigued, he started to search for anything bounded to the Potter and after hours of reading he managed to found that before they moved to England they were from a family named Potteria. This family was not a very opened or well known family from what he could read. The book didn't mentioned the number they were, nor what their political position was, nor how much money did they possessed, not even what their status was.

This made him frowned, how could so little be known about a family that seemed to be very powerful and influential in Italy. Not defeated yet, even after having read for nearly eight hours straight, he picked a book that reported all the reasons of human migration in the late fourteenth century but found that nothing seemed to have a relation with the emigration of the Potter in England. Then he tested one that was about the great plagues of the fourteenth century.

This one was the good one. How could he know? He just knew it deep down inside of him, something told him that the truth about the Potter family was in there. He searched everything, the disease of the grains, the flowers, the bees, the animals, the creatures and the humans. He looked into everything starting from the corps to the animals then jumping to the humans but still not finding what he wanted.

When he thought of going to bed instead of doing a blank night, he felt like he was missing something and opened the section about the magical creatures. He read about the werewolves that were in a constant augmentation in this century because the disease being more volatile with the population fluxes being greater. Them he read about the veela crisis that involved two great merchant guilds that tried to enslave the majority of them near Venice but ended up burned to death and spreading a disease contracted at the contact of poisonous weapons used by the veela peoples.

Finally he arrived to the Vampire section and saw something he did not know : The Great Purge of the Feveret Sanguis. It seemed like the vampires of the whole world were touched by a mortal and very volatile disease that affected their very essence and killed them slowly and painfully or stripped them of their powers making them into simple wizards. At the same time a massive muggle and wizard hunt for the vampires began and nearly annihilated the whole race all around the world.

Then he saw that the major populations of vampires were concentrated in the eastern and the southern countries of Europe. Moreover a lot of the ones touched by the disease fled to the western countries, mostly England and France. When the old Headmaster read this, everything seemed to come together. The fact that there were no records of the Potteria family, then the sudden arrival of the Potter family in England and the mystery about their arrival, the mysterious death of a great number of them not long after their arrival, the fact that they seemed to be really knowledgeable in terms of dark creatures, their positions in politics, their secretive nature about their origins and their traditions and moreover the fact that Vernon Dursley was dried out of his blood.

But one thing made no sense. If they were touched by the Feveret Sanguis and that they were kicked out of the Potteria family then that would mean they were only normal wizards now and not vampires anymore. Moreover never Charlus nor Fleamont nor his sons showed any vampire's abilities or abnormalities. So it was impossible for Lyria to be a vampire. Yet contrary to the members of her family she clearly showed signs of being a vampire after a good observation and knowing the recent self defense kill. Her ivory skin, her longer canines, the lightly glowing eyes, the raven black hairs and the coldness of her body, were if all put together discreet signs of her being a vampire.

This could only mean one thing, Lyria was the first vampire of the family since the death of the Potteria branch and that she had overcome the disease that touched her bloodline by he didn't know what miracle or curse. Maybe the reflected killing curse was the reason, maybe not he wasn't sure of anything at this point.

Therefore he now knew how to proceed, he just needed to read everything he could about vampires, in accurate and factual books. He didn't want to read all the ramblings of a little uninteresting racist about the subject like a Dolores Umbridge about the centaur or the werewolves. Though for now, he needed a good sleep and a good sleep he would have. He then headed to his quarters and just went to sleep immediately.

* * *

_Four days later_

* * *

The Headmaster had two good days of work, he cleared a lot of his schedule due to a greater amount of work on his sides and his no-nonsense politic of the past week. He decided that he would not assist as much as before the Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge, in order to save some spare time for his research. Speaking about his research, he was accumulating a good amount of knowledge about this nearly extinct race and not involved in any modern society after the disaster that hit their race six hundred years before.

As glad as he was to find a lot of interesting and useful informations on this mysterious race, he also grew more and more wary of them. They were a race known for their intelligence, their beauty and their honor code but also for their bloodlust, their urges, their vicious and their emotion driven nature. The more he learnt about them the more difficult it seemed for him to help Lyria, being a race that usually acted on their emotions and not on their reason.

Those qualities and flaws made them a race of passionate and dangerous warriors in the past that never lost a war against the wizard kind or the goblin kind. But it also made them devious beings ready to die or kill any threat for the one they loved, to cross the forbidden lines of what was authorised and what was not or to fall for the seven deadly sins.

But something also pained him, they were a race of beings not able to withstand for too long the sunlight, with unstable immunity defenses that depended on the quality and quantity if their blood at the moment of the infection and that could not heal with wizard potions or muggle medicines. While he read this, he felt like his presence was required at Lyria's side to help her recover, otherwise he thought that she would maybe never recover from her tragedy.

This was like that, that he appeared at the front door of the Potter Castle and announced his presence, waiting for a house elf to come and greet him. He did not have to wait for too long as Pixi arrived quickly with a morbid and sad expression on his face that instantly alarmed Dumbledore.

"Hello Pixi, why are you making such a face ? Is my presence so unwanted here ?" Joked the Headmaster to lighten the atmosphere and to calm his own nerves.

"Not at all! You are always welcome here professor ! The problem is that Mistress Lyria's condition has worsened a lot in the past five days, so much so that we kept her asleep the longer we could with our magic and fed her by banishing food in her stomach to keep her alive… However the more time that pass the worse her condition is getting… Her breath is uneven even in her sleep, she cries if we leave her alone for more than ten minutes despite being asleep… Her skin is constantly as cold as polar ice even with our warming spells and her hairs are now a sick grey… We don't know what to do, we fear that we won't be able to save her… We are a disgrace to the house elf race and to our Mistress" Cried the house elf in the robes of the old man.

"This confirms my greatest fear and it also confirms my theory on the vampire's health system… Don't worry Pixi, I think we might be able to save your Mistress if we have the good instruments and supply" Said the old Headmaster that then asked for the elf to guide him to Lyria's bedroom. When they arrived at the door the elf stopped.

"Mistress Lyria didn't want anyone to enter her room other than Fily and me, even the goblin doctor that we hired yesterday had to return home without seeing her because she didn't want to see anyone or that anyone touch her… Pixi thinks she gave up on life, she refuse to be fed anymore and asked us to stop giving her medicines or to use our magic to heal her… The last time she was awake she told me that she suffered so much that she wanted it to end soon… She told me that she was tired to live in such a cruel world and that maybe death was her salvation… Whatever caused her to be in such a state affected her to the point of her wanting to end her life" Explained the elf between his sobs.

"Pixi… I can't let young Lyria die. I made a promise to her great grandfather to protect his family and preserve it from all odds if I could help. And now I can help her so I won't let her die like that, we will save her. You will help me, won't you ?" Inquired the old man before the elf nodded his big head back and forth.

"Yes of course. Pixi will let you enter. Please help us save the young Mistress."

"Of course. Well we need to hurry before her condition worsen even more" Ordered the Headmaster. They entered the bedroom that was completely in the dark, the bed and the windows were hidden by the big velour curtains.

"She is resting for the moment, she is in a sort of stasis" Explained the elf when he opened the curtains to the bed to reveal the disastrous state in which the last Potter was.

"I think it would be better if she stayed like that for the duration of her cure" Stated the late professor of transfiguration.

"That was not an idea that crossed our mind to stop the stasis professor" Said the voice of Fily that was on hidden at the other side if the bed, showing himself to the visitors "I thought the Mistress's order to not let anyone enter the room were clear Pixi."

"Yes they were but Pixi wants as much as Fily to see her getting better and stay with us than die and Pixi is ready to face every punishment she will give me after she gets better" Firmly said the proud house elf of the Potter family that was Pixi.

"Fily, I am deeply sorry to make you disobey your Mistress' order but you, as much as us, want her to get better and to be able to enjoy the pleasure of life, don't you ?" Asked the old man.

"Of course… Fily prefers to be a bad elf than to see his last Mistress die like that" Said the small creature while his ears were batting in the air.

"Well then it's settled, we will need every arms available to maximize our chance for it to work, Announced the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Pixi I need you to go fetch a certain miss named Petra Helms, she is a muggle surgeon and an old friend of mine, tell her to take everything she needs for an urgency surgery and to ask you to buy everything she needs" Like this the elf nodded and disappeared "Fily I need you to prepare a room were we would be able to work properly and to take Lyria there."

"Fily will do this" Told the strict elf and vanished too.

Albus was now alone in the room with the dying young girl, he looked at the closed curtains that hid her body from his sight and sighed, a pained expression on his face. He retired from the room and went back to his office in Hogwarts where he was sure he could find an ancient gift that would be useful. He started to search for this particular gift but was not able to find it right away.

During his search, Pixi popped in his office to announce him that his friend would only be available in two days because he already had his planning full but that he could clear it for him to have a free day. With that information in mind, Dumbledore nodded and called Fily to tell him that he would need him to transport Lyria in two days and not before.

* * *

_Two days later - Potter Castle_

* * *

When Lyria awoke, she found herself still in her bed, hungry like never before and with the same hellish pain waving through her entire body, she felt so tired despite all those hours of sleep that she just lied in her bed, staring at her ceiling, thinking about what she was about to experience.

"_I feel more exhausted each day that pass and the pain grows more and more unbearable… But it's fine… It's nearly the end of this miserable life that is mine… Papa, Mama, wait for me a little longer, I'm coming to see you soon… Whatever awaits me after death cannot be worse than what life threw at me… What a relief… It's nearly the end"_

"_Don't give up… Don't give up… You have to live … Just don't give up…"_

"_But I'm so tired of this life… Why don't you just let me go… You would stop my suffering so much quickly… Why do you continue to maintain me alive… I don't want to live anymore… Just let me go… please"_

"_That I cannot do… I will never give up on you… So don't you ever give up on me..."_

"_Why are you doing this… Who are you to do this to me… Why not just end my unbearable pain…"_

"_I don't know why… Something push me to not let you give up… And strangely… I can't tell you who I am, like all the times before… I don't know why but I can't… Moreover… Why would I end your life when you can be saved…"_

"_I don't want to be saved… I couldn't care less than dying… I just want the suffering to stop… I just want to stop hearing you… If you are not with me… If you don't want to let me die… You must be one of them… Of those that want to hurt me… You want me to continue suffering for nothing but your pleasure… I hate you… I hate you…"_

"_Don't. You. Say. That. You. Hate. Me. Ever. Again… Because… I… I don't know why… But… Deep inside… I like you… I have compassion for you… I want you to live… To get better… To enjoy life… To grow old… To meet me… To keep me company… Like you always did for eight years… Always talking to me in the dark… When I was desperate you helped me… So it is normal that I help you… Because I care for you… Like you cared for me…"_

"_That's false… How can I care for you… And you care for me… If you don't exist… You always talked about magic… About flying brooms… About wand… About Quidditch… About wizard and witch… But nothing of it exists… It is just fantasy… You are a part of my imagination… Just that… An imaginary friend... Created by my imagination… So now… I want you to disappear… Or let me die in peace…"_

"_You are awful saying those mean things to me… I really care for you… And I exist, like everything I told you… I am not imaginary, because I live… I breathe… I eat… I drink… I sleep… I laugh… I cry… And I hurt too… And when you deny me, my heart and brain hurt… Do you enjoy hurting me… Because I don't enjoy seeing you hurt or hurting you… Quite the contrary… Do you think I feel well when you feel bad… No it's false… Since the first day we talked… I feel a part of what you feel… And now I hurt a lot… So I can only imagine how much you hurt… But don't give up… If you don't do it for you… Do it for me…"_

"_You're mean… Using such methods… You make me feel awful… Can you make a promise…"_

"_Yes… As long as it stays in the possible realm…"_

"_If I don't give up… If I survive… I want to meet you… I want you to become a real friend… Is that possible ?..."_

"_Yes… It is… You will survive… And one day… We will meet… Become friends… Enjoy life together… Laugh, cry, play, be bored, travel… Everything that you want… I will make you discover my world… And you make me discover yours… We will be the best friends of the world… That is a promise… And I never break a promise…"_

"_Thank you… For everything… I don't hate you… And I know you did not lie to me… My friend…"_

"_I'm glad… I have to go now… We can talk later on… Don't give up like you promised… See you…"_

"_See you…" _

Tears began to roll on Lyria's cheeks as she closed her eyes, starting to breathe more heavily. She had decided that she would fight, fight for her life. She had decided that she would live and get better. She decided that even if she had the worst start possible in life, she would brighten her future. However sometimes, fighting hurted more than just doing nothing. With this state of mind, she took charge of the situation at hand.

"Pixi... Fily, She called weakly and within the next seconds she heard the door being opened, Thank you... for being here... for me you two... I changed... my mind... I want you two... to do... everything you can… to keep me alive... and help me... get better...

"Mistress Lyria, Cried Pixi, Pixi will do everything he can to make you feel better."

"Fily too will help you, Pixi and Fily even took the liberty to call a new doctor to heal you."

"That's… great? I will... trust you two… can you two... put me back... into sleep... I am... so tired... and painful now" Said Lyria from behind her curtains, hidden from the eyes of her servants. The two house elves, put her back into sleep, then went to greet the Headmaster and his muggle doctor friend that just arrived.

At the entrance of the little Castle, the Supreme Mugwump was entertaining his muggle friend.

"You see Petra, the young Lady that you will see today is my protege and I care for her like a granddaughter, her name is Lyria" Explained the old man.

"I see, Hummed the old surgeon, Is she a witch too ? Or is she a muggle like me ?"

"Well my friend it is more complicated than that" He said while stroking his beard.

"How so ?" How can it be more complicated Albus.

"Well… There is no point in hiding this as you will have to know everything about her condition to heal her… Well young Lyria Potter is a half Vampire half witch."

"Are you joking ?" Asked gobsmacked the surgeon.

"I'm afraid not" Replied calmly the most powerful wizard still living.

"Well that's a shocking news… And I thought that I was finished with the surprises thirty years ago when I healed you and you told me about your world. Well I must assume that she has not the same immune system and body as us" Inquired Petra.

"You're right, she has a very low immune system and as a Vampire, our medicines, muggle or wizard, have no effect on her and she need an extra income of fresh and pureblood to ingest in order to activate her incredibly strong immune system otherwise she has the low one activated" Detailed the Headmaster.

"That's good to know, and now, I know why I am carrying with me eight liters of blood in my wallet. You know that if someone saw me at the hospital with this much blood, I would have been in huge troubles" Sighed the muggle mistress of the human body.

"I know and for all the efforts you have had to do for me I've prepared an adequate reward. Ah… I think that our host's caretakers have come to greet us and guide us to her" Finished the old wizard before they were greeted by the two house elves and taken to the surgery room.

Once there, Petra nodded her head in approval at the sight of the plain white and stabilised room through the glass door. She went to a room to change herself and take a good shower in order to eliminate all the bacteria that could be on her. Then the house elves came to dress her because her hands needed to stay the cleaner possible. Once fully prepared and her instruments all set on a table near the operation table, she gestured for the house elves to go fetch her patient.

However she couldn't believe what she just saw as the corpse of the young girl just appeared out of thin air before her eyes. The house elves had used their magic to clean Lyria and put her in a surgery dress, her hairs in a bonnet. When she returned to her concentrated state, she gestured for the house elves to prepare helping her during the surgery, Albus by her side, ready to use the magic he possessed to help in case it was needed.

The muggle surgeon read what were the symptoms and things she had to take care of then began to do her well known job. Her hands were moving perfectly, calmly and with such dexterity that the old age she seemed to have never did show during the four hours of operations she proceeded.

First, she made place the catheter and joined them to the blood sterile bag. She began then to operate the nearly destroyed vocal cords, with surgical precision and with the help of some magic she read about and asked Albus to practice, he repaired them with ease.

Secondly she proceeded to manually replace all the broken bones and to keep them in place, before she would place them into a cast. She then replace every ribs at the right place, took away the little fragments that were near her vital organs and once again with help of Albus repaired the lungs, not wanting to operate them if she could just repair them magically.

Then she attacked one of the worst part of his job. It never was a pleasure for her to have to butcher another woman from her ovaries but these were damaged beyond repair even with magic according to the mass of books Albus read on the subject and to the specialist he interrogated before obliviating the conversation form their memories. She was so, in the obligation to remove them in order to prevent them from rotting inside her body.

Finally, she worked stomach and liver that had been bruised badly but still repairable. That was one of the hardest part of the surgery and she was glad that she accepted the strange potion from Albus before the operation. He said that it would prevent her from being tired for a complete day and that her focus would be at his highest for the time being.

This had frankly been one of her hardest surgery of all time, having to operate on so many organs and part of the body at once felt like a bad joke, but here she was standing in front of the mostly repaired body of the young Lady that inhabited this little Castle in the west of England near Liverpool.

She had done everything she could, now Lyria just needed some rest, some blood and if Albus was correct, her body would start to finish healing her slowly but surely by itself. Albus thanked her at least four times which seemed to be rare coming from the old wizard, and she received a medical set of potions with a manual that instructed the exact properties of each potions.

She knew however that the wizards would not share their knowledge with the muggles and _vice versa_ so the potions were protected by a spell that would prevent them from being reproduced. Her presence not needed anymore she bade goodbye to Albus and was then sent back home by one of the house elf of the Potter family.

Then the two servant then made all the dirty instruments and compress vanish from the room and levitated their Mistress back to her bedroom, where she would rest and begin to absorb all the blood that Petra had brought with her. Albus looked at her one more time, there, sleeping peacefully in her oversized bed, her pale skin seemed to be gaining colour after each drop of blood that entered her body, her hairs were insanely slowly getting back to their ancient raven black.

With the speed at which she was recovering, he esteemed that she would return to her normal self in a month or so and that she would have fully recovered in six months. He was hopeful that she would go back to normal soon enough for her to get accustomed to the wizarding world, but not too much. However he was not as hopeful in terms of her mental state, enduring what she had endured at such a young age and with so little good memories and experience, he feared that never in her life Lyria Potter would be able to pardon men and muggles perhaps also the wizarding community.

With those dark thoughts in mind, he retreated from her bedroom and carefully closed the door to let her have peace for once in her life. He walked through the dark halls of the Potter Castle and was unable to tear his eyes off the ground as he walked, fearing to see the dorming faces of all the Potter that he had failed in the past or to see their awake features showing their disgust for him for he did to Lyria Potter their last descendant.

Ashamed of himself but glad that he could try to redeem for his wrong doings, the Headmaster of Hogwarts climbed down the stairs and began to head for the big front door of the little castle, then he headed for the end of the grounds to retire and return to his beloved school. Though little did he know that what he had done for the past two weeks for Lyria Potter were the best decisions he ever made in his life, preventing the end of a millenar family and most probably the rise of a new Dark Lady, for his action had not gone unnoticed by the house elves that would be sure to praise his efforts to their Mistress.


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's note :**

I'm back ! I apologise for the long wait for this chapter but I was having my oral exams to enter next year in an engeneering school here in France so I was pretty busy and stressed to the max.

I've just finished my final oral of math this friday and I am now free to enjoy my holidays and write for this fanfiction. I worked on this chapter for the past three days and I am pretty satisfied with how it turned out to be.

I also saw the number of followers and favorite of this fanfic and I must say that it fills me with pride to know that only one summary and chapter made some people already enjoy this story and I wanted to thank you all.

So here is the new chapter, I hope you will enjoy it as much as the first one with some revelations and a lot of world building ^^ .

I will let you read this now and please feel free to leave a review if you want to share your thoughts, ideas and critics I will be as active as someone in holiday after two years of full hard work and stress can be.

Just for the sake of formalities : I don't own Harry Potter nor anything that belongs to its universe as it all belong to dear J.K Rowling

* * *

Chapter Two : Recovery and Discoveries

* * *

_A week after the operation_

* * *

The floral garden of the Potter Castle was a pure delight for the eyes, the nose and the ears. Hundreds of colorful and singer brid were living on the ground, thousands of species of plants gave a rainbow aspect to the floor and their mixed scent could give you a sensation of featherness and calm. That was in the middle of this garden that Lyria Potter was sitting in a rotunda, in the middle of a little lake, observing the swimming fishes through the glass floor.

If the Potter Castle was a small castle, the garden and the grounds that came with it were immense. It seemed that the Potter family was famous for their love of the nature, the flora, the fauna and the french garden style.

The grounds were in fact on a little oval island, shaped by two arms of a river, that with some adjustments, cutted the grounds in nine equal parts, surelevated with stoned wall from the water in order to avoid floods, each connected by curved and sculpted bridges. On the central part was the castle itself and on the others were wonderful and well cutted parterre à la française, sculpted fountains with many statues of the renaissance era and many other gorgeous, expensive and masterpiece of art. The castle and the grounds were greatly inspired by the french castles of Chenonceaux and Chantilly for the grounds and garden and Chambord for the castle architecture, covering more than two kilometer square.

She was in the middle of her recovery so she had the interdiction to do even the easiest task in the house, even feeding herself or changing her clothes. This lead to her growing bored inside of the house, so she decided last evening that she would visit her real estate and despite being in a wheeling chair pushed by magic, she was glad to be able to be outside. If there were two things that Lyria could not live without it would clearly be animals and nature.

Since her childhood, she always wanted to have an animal or more to take care of, that would love her and that she would love, and a garden, a big garden in which she could pass all days working in and enjoy herself in the evening. She could not be more happy that she was at this moment, she was watching beautiful fishes that were dancing with each others beneath her feet, birds were singing and settling on her arms to observe her. The flowers were all blooming and amazed her with their beauty.

As she was enjoying herself alone in the middle of nature, lulled by mother nature and the peacefulness of the situation, she heard three voices, two that she grew accustomed to and came to appreciate kindly and another one that seemed familiar but foreign at the same time. "_Who could possibly enter my domain and talk so freely with Fily and Pixi without being chased out?"_ Wondered the Mistress of the House Potter. She heard someone closing the distance with her small and protected environment and she started to panic a little bit. Her voice was still unusable at the moment because of the operation and her house elves told her that she could normally talk in a month or two when everything came back in place and fully repaired.

Because of her situation she could not chase away the unwanted visitor by herself. "_Pixi!"_ She called in her mind and immediately she heard 'crack' and she knew that her dear elf was there next to her. He took her hand to announce his presence, kindly and gently take her hand for her to let him know what she wanted from him.

Thanks to the elf magic, when he was touching her and because as his Mistress she allowed him the right to communicate via telepathy with her. She didn't know how all of this could be possible but she did not question him when he clearly proved that he was able to do exactly what he said he was capable to accomplish. "_Pixi, I don't know who is here with you, but I don't want him to come near me nor approach the house. Am I clear?"_ Expressed the Potter heiress that smiled at his response.

"As you wish Mistress, I will tell him that you do not want to see him and that he can't bother you with his presence. Is that all Mistress ?" Asked the eager elf.

"_Thanks, that will be enough for now… Oh after reflection, could you prepare me your special fruit juice ?"_ Inquired Lyria.

"In a moment, Pixi will have you it in no time, Mistress" And then the house elf disappeared once again. Lyria did not had to open her eyes once to know that everything was as peaceful and fine as it was ten minutes ago.

"So Pixi ? What did your young Mistress wanted from you ?" Said Dumbledore that had stayed at the outskirt of the lake, not daring to cross the bridge that would have led him to the person he wanted to talk to.

"Pixi is sorry professor Dumbledore sir, but Mistress Lyria does not want to see anyone, she want to be alone, you should come back in some time" Told him the elf while shaking negatively his big head.

"Well… It can't be then" Sighed the old man before apparating away from the Potter estate.

"Pixi has done half of his job" Pixi needs to prepare his special juice now, Motivated himself the elf.

With this Lyria stopped to feel threatened with the departure of the stranger. Pixi and Fily explained her that she was the last of her family and that she was in the house of her ancestor therefor, she had, according to the law of their country, every right on her domain. She did not know which country Pixi and Fily were mentioning to her because, she knew that she was still in England and she also knew that no law were saying that you had the right of life or death on your real estate if you felt threatened by someone.

* * *

_Five days ago_

* * *

She wanted to know more about her family and this led to many other question that she wanted to know the answer., the more her elves were responding to her questions, the more questions she had.

"_Which country are we living in?_"

"Great Britain, Mistress."

"_Then how come I have every right here on my domain?"_

"Because it is in the law, Mistress."

"_I don't recall such a law in Great Britain though"_

"It is because we live in Magical Britain, Mistress."

"_Magical you say? Tell me more"_

This was the start of a far longer and entertaining discussion between Pixi and Lyria, the little elf never leaving the hand of her Mistress while she stayed in her bed staring at the beautiful ceiling of her four-poster bed.

He explained to her everything she needed to know on the wizarding history, how they appeared, how they developed into civilisations, how they interacted with muggles until the day they decided to hide from them, how they lived since then.

The next day, he told her about the laws, the believes and the politic, explaining her the principle of the Wizengamot, the Sacred Twenty-eight and also the aversion of certain wizards and witches towards the muggleborn.

And finally, he explained the monetary system, the interactions of the wizards with the other species and with the other magical countries, how they were not fighting against each other like the muggles, how they entertained themselves, what were the main jobs that existed and way more things.

Those past three days, she had accumulated a great amount of knowledge and even if she did not manage to memorise everything, she was confident in her capacity to understand a little bit more this world in which she lived.

* * *

_Present_

* * *

As Dumbledore just apparated away, Lyria decided that her mood had changed and that she would like to come back inside her house. Her will acting on the elven magic of the wheelchair, it started alone and moved her to the house slowly, quitting her eden. She crossed one of the nine beautifully decorated and sculpted bridge that lead her to the main ground before traversing the parterre that was in front of her house. She smiled as she saw Fily working without his magic on the plants and the artistic forms that were created on the flower floor.

As she entered her home, she thought about what she wanted to do now that she grew annoyed by the presence, even momentary, of a stranger on her domain. As she wondered what to do, she heard an all too familiar voice in her head, beginning to talk to her, a voice she had been ignoring for the past five days for many reasons. Pixi had explained to her some magical concept, most of them she didn't understand, but one particular struck her like a bullet.

The legilimency or the art of manipulating and reading the minds of others through a special branch of magic very hard to master and not very well know : The mind magic. From what she understood, it could mean that the so-called imaginary friend she had from the beginning of her life could in fact be someone that was trying to manipulate her thoughts and it afraid her.

The voice had always been somewhat of a friend to her, always gentle and happy to help her and talk to her when she was alone, but maybe it only was the play of some sort of evil being that was like the monster that killed her parents. Yes, she knew about him : Voldemort, Pixi and Fily had been reluctant to explain her the whole story but after she urged them to reveal her the truth they obliged.

"_Hello there ! I know you can hear me… Why are you ignoring all of a sudden… I know you have survived and that you are awake for the past week… Don't you still want to be my friend… To entertain me when I'm alone, bored or desperate?"_

Once again Lyria ignored her. She was too afraid to even think about doing anything else than responding to her. She yet had to talk about this with Pixi for him to enlighten her on the situation, because until she knew what the voice meant and truly wanted, she was determined not to respond anymore.

"_Maybe you are not feeling well or something… Don't worry, I don't take it bad… Don't forget that you can always come to me in your head, even to talk about boring things… I will always listen to you… Good recovering then… Bye"_

With this, like every other day, the voice left her alone in her head with this tone of sadness and carness for her condition and her lack of response. It truly pained her to potentially ignore someone that only wanted her well being and her company. However, she had been deceived by human beings so many times in her life and with most of the time dire repercussions that she couldn't bring herself to let her feelings enter in the equation. She had to be rational and only act on facts that she knew were accurate and foolproof.

"_Pixi, I need you now"_ Just as she thought this, she heard the characteristic pop, that announced the apparition of her house elf.

"Yes Mistress ? What can Pixi do for you ?" Asked the little house elf fidgeting on his feet, thinking that his Mistress was unhappy with him because he let Headmaster Dumbledore enter the grounds. He so touched apprehensively the hand of his Mistress after she extended it for fim to grab.

"_I need you to explain me something, it is about something that has troubled me all week and I was afraid to talk about it"_ Told him the dark haired little Lady.

"Everything you want Mistress ! Ask Pixi and Pixi will respond " He said as he grew more nervous at the idea of having failed his Mistress, if it had troubled her all week without him or Fily noticing.

"_For so long as I can remember, I have had a voice that come sometimes in my head and that talk to me, like another human is in my head and that can talk to me if we both want to. I have been wondering whether this could be a malevolent being that wanted to harm me using legilimency or another mind art magic. Can you help me ?"_ Explained the last Potter confused and afraid about this situation she was in.

"Oh… Pixi is very sorry ! Pixi doesn't know more than what he said about the mind arts ! Pixi is useless to his Mistress ! Pixi is very sorry Mistress !" Cired the house elf as he hold on Lyria's hand as if it was his lifeline.

He felt her raise her other hand and prepared himself for his punishment as he had failed her, but what he felt was entirely different from what he expected. She just patted his head lovingly and smiled at him with so much care and understanding in her eyes that his tears grew bigger and bigger.

"Mistress is too good with this useless elf… Pixi doesn't deserve such a good Mistress as his Mistress Lyria, Sobbed the house elf before he raise his head once again abruptly, Oh… But Pixi might know someone that could help you because he is very knowledgeable in many many magic arts."

"_And who might that be Pixi ?"_ Inquired Lyria with a little frown on her face as she was not too eager to encounter anyone for at least ten years if possible.

"Headmaster Dumbledore…" Mumbled Pixi as he knew that his Mistress did not want to meet any human being for a long time, even the rest of her life if possible. He had yet to tell her everything about Hogwarts and the implication of going to such a school.

"_The man that wanted to see me earlier is this much intelligent ? And Headmaster of what is he ? An Hospital ? A school ?"_ Lyria was confused to say the least and she wanted to know what business this man could have with her.

"He is the Headmaster of a school indeed… Hogwarts, the magical school for Magical Britain for wizards and witches to be… Mistress will most certainly go to this school if she desire too in the future, like her parents went and so on." Explained Pixi as he carefully watched the reaction of his Mistress.

"_You are saying that I will have to go to school ? Why ? Am I not rich enough to have some tutors coming here to teach me and make me learn everything ?"_ She asked, not fancying the idea of going back to school where she could encounter some new Dudley that will terrorise and persecute and beat her to death, but with magic this time.

"Well yes, Mistress could do that but…"

"_But what Pixi"_

"Everyone that went to Hogwarts says that it remained in their best memories, their best moments in life and moreover, this is where most people create connections to each other known as friendship or love Mistress" Tempted the house elf under her questioning gaze.

"_I don't know if I want to go there… However it will have to be given some thoughts in the future… Maybe I will be interested in it after some time and I fully recovered… Well back to the initial subject, is this Dumbledore man able to help me ? Or is he just after something that my family possess because I can see that he has full access to my domain for now."_ Replied Lyria that now laid in her bed, as they had moved to her room while discussing.

"I can assure you that Headmaster Dumbledore only wants your well being and for you to bloom into the most happy and fulfilled person in the world. He has been a long friend of your family, he was a childhood friend of your great grandfather and he swore on his honor and magic that he will help you achieve and obtain whatever you want in life. He feels guilty about the death of many members of your family that he considered like a second family. However with all his power and knowledge, he would surely be someone capable of helping you Mistress" Pixi defended the not so flawless but good hearted and powerful Headmaster.

"_Oh… I see… But… I don't want to meet anyone for the moment… Maybe after some time… I want to have recovered… Fully recovered… Before seeing him… I don't want to appear weak and broken in front of a man let alone a friend of my family…"_ Lyria said ending the discussion as she closed her eyes and fall asleep, Pixi exiting the bedroom and returning to his past activities of cleaning the house.

* * *

_Five months later - Potter Castle_

* * *

It has been five months since the last time professor Dumbledore had last visit the last heiress of the Potter family because of various reasons. The first one was that he didn't have access to the ward anymore meaning that without the proper authorisation and the insertion of his name and blood within the wards, he could not enter the house as he wished without being summoned. Secondly, the young Lady had ordered her house elves to pass him a message that, summarized, said that she was grateful of his concern and for still being a friend of his family after so many years but that she needed to be alone and grant herself some time to recover her health, sounding like some sort of warning not to try and enter her house without proper permission. And the last but not least, was the fact that the more time pass, the more deterred he was about his potential encounter with the young girl, he was afraid of her reaction when he will explain her that everything she suffered at her relatives' house was due to his mistakes of the past.

All in all, Albus Dumbledore had not past the best months of his life these past five months. He used his multiple duties to bury himself in work in order to escape the remorse of the past and his sadness of the many lives he ruined because of his lack of decisions and actions during the war against Grindelwald, then his bad decisions and preparations during the war against Voldemort, and finally his mistakes concerning the life of young Lyria Potter.

He always prided himself to be one of the most intelligent and wise wizard of his time and certainly the most powerful for the moment, his decisions always lead to an overall betterment of the magical society and to the population. However it seemed that in his zealousness and in his larger scale worldview, he had often omitted to think about the families, the people and the children each separately and not as a group leading to sometimes the catastrophic issues.

Tom Marvolo Riddle mostly known as Lord Voldemort was one of them, as he was busy fighting and planning against his former friend and ally Grindelwald, he completely forgot the sort of the magical children that were growing inside the muggle world and that were abused to no end because of the breach of the statute of secrecy that caused Grindelwald. This led to him ignoring the ones that were orphans or muggleborn, letting them unconsciously in the hands of hateful people because he oversaw this problem as a minor issue. This most certainly was a reason among many others that pushed Tom to the dark arts and fueled his hatred for him and for the muggles.

In fact, as he now understood and review the many mistakes he made during he really long life, he came to the conclusion that Lyria had suffered in a similar way to Tom. No, she had suffered more, as he had out of concern used legilimency on Tom during his youth to ascertain himself that he had not suffered to much in the orphanage and it seemed that despite some bully issue that stopped really quickly after the awakening of his powers, he had not suffered too much.

However, Lyria was in a whole other league. She had suffered the repeated beatings of her uncle and cousins, she had suffered a treatment equal to a slave, she had received the insults given to a undesirable and particularly vile insect. She had been treated like a lesser being, even worse, she had been treated like a walking plague and no one ever tried to really help her, even if the teachers at her school tried to keep her out of danger at school for most of them. She probably hated muggles even more than Voldemort, she probably saw them as lesser human, degenerate that should be erased from the face of the earth for they have done to her and soon, she would hate him as much as she hated them.

From what Fily and Pixi told him, she was quiet most of the time, not only because she was voiceless in the past few months, maybe she still was he didn't know this fact, but also because she wanted to be let alone most of the times, isolating herself in her many gardens, parterres or in her aviary. He heard that loved animals and nature and that she prefered the presence of the flora and fauna over their presence, a fact that pained and worried him at she same time.

There only was one thing he was sure of at this point, it was that he had the duty and the obligation to tell he the whole truth about his actions and what he had done to her thinking foolishly that it was for the greater good and her well being. He will tell her that he had overstepped her boundaries and his rights in doing so and that he was ready to face the consequences of his acts and that he would accepted every treatment she had in reserve for him.

He had been blinded for too long by his power and his knowledge, but also by the uncontested trust and faith people had in him, relying on him as if he was a walking god that could solve all the problems of the world and that it was his duty to do so. Whereas now he understood fully that he had no such duty, he was not in the obligation to save the world from every Dark Lord that arise every now and them to overtake governments and states, he only had four real duties that were : ruling the wizengamot, presiding the ICW, taking care of Hogwarts and the students as the Headmaster and finally assuring the well being and the safety of Lyria Potter as he vowed to do.

So there he was at the staff table in the great, sitting in his throne like chair, looking at each and every head of the students that were in his and his teachers' care for eight years, from ten to eighteen years old. He was proud to say that for the past five months, with his better implication in the school life, things were better than they ever were in a long time. He had to, to his regret because the professor had done nothing apart not being a good professor, ask professor Binns to leave his place as the History of Magic teacher and had to find a new one in the person of Helena Bagshot, granddaughter of the world famous historian Bathilda Bagshot.

This was only one of the few changes he had made in the Hogwarts curriculum. He also put in place something that he found was lacking in the teachings at Hogwarts : Projects. In each year, students had to choose or be placed with a partner and work on a project given to them by their project professor. Projects consisted in a simple assignments that was being worked on all over the year that linked two or three subjects together and that needed a to be written on scrolls detailing what had been done and what was the conclusion, with if possible a little experiment or demonstration. These projects did not have any impact on the notes and exams of a student, however they could gain points to their house or make them lose some giving all students an exterior motivation for their hard work and investment.

Another thing he put into effect was the obligation to be part of a club, whatever it was, to oblige some people to stop studying too much and let them relax, because he knew some students, like him in his youth, were at the merge of collapsing because they put too much of their time and health in studying, something that could be really bad for their health. Moreover those clubs were meant to help the interaction of the students of all years together, as he knew that most of the time each years stayed together with minimum contact with others.

Dumbledore was a strong believer in the better integration of the muggleborn in the magical society, however he also knew for a fact that the muggle society and the wizarding society would never be alike in many many ways. Despite everything that he said to promote the muggleborn integration, he also firmly believed that some of the old ways and traditions were part of their culture and not to be forgotten or erase.

This was why he had created a class reserved to muggleborns and half-bloods educated in the muggle world to teach them their culture, their morals and how to integrate better in their society. It was not a subject meant to manipulate their believes or the way they saw their past world but a way for theme to understand the differences between the two world and what could be change and what would forever stay the same.

Finally he decided to integrate once again something that had been tested when he was at Hogwarts but that suddenly stop because of too little participant, a fact that he was pretty sure was because of him partially. He had announced at the return of the students after the christmas holiday that an inter-house dueling cup would be in place next year.

He overheard in his youth that not many people wanted to participate in the dueling cup because they were sick that it was always Gryffindor that ended up winning the individual and team cup because Albus would smash any opponents even when they were three against him. He was confident that no one would smash any competition for the time being as he didn't see anyone with abilities and power such as his in the school.

These rumors had only accentuated his impression of invincibility and almightiness in the past leading to his prat and overconfident attitude that led to the death of his sister. However, this time, he was sure that with Filius, Severus, Minerva and Pomona to help him supervise this cup it would end up like the Quidditch cup, a very appreciated event of throughout the year.

As he looked at the students that were gathered in the great hall, enjoying their lunch, he was proud to say that each and everyone of them seemed happy to be at Hogwarts and they all welcomed the changes with joy and eagerness. 'All ?' He thought. 'No of course not all, but it was to be expected I think' Sighed the old Headmaster as he turned his gaze to the proud green and silver house.

When all the student body was happy with the new changes, the Slytherin house had a bittersweet taste in their mouths. While they were satisfied with three of them, one of the 'improvements' had them shout and fume for days, even weeks and months for the most vehement : the Culture and Integration course.

They were outraged to say the least, that the Headmaster was creating a subject only for the muggleborns and the half-blood that lived in the muggle world. How could the Headmaster educate those inferior wizard and witches to our noble and superior culture, morals and society to which they did not belong. These were the words of the softest of the Slytherin house that had been told to him via their head of house : Severus Snape, that too was not very pleased with such new subject but had the decency to keep his opinion to himself as he owed the Headmaster too much to deliberately go against him.

The Headmaster sighed once again, getting the attention of his Deputy Headmistress : Minerva McGonagall, that looked at him, concern on her face as she knew that he had been overexerting himself this past months. She had come to term with the mistakes her old mentor had made because she knew that he always had the best intentions in mind but that sometimes his method were overlooking too much details that ended up hurting many peoples.

"Albus ? Is everything alright ? You seem to be pretty exhausted, maybe you should try to lighten your work by giving me the school paperwork to do" Minerva proposed to him as he was cleaning his glasses, eyes closed.

"Thank you for your concern Minerva but I assure you that everything is fine and that I don't need you to worry for me as I am feeling perfectly well. I just have a lot on my mind at the moment with the problems that are causing the russian ambassador at the ICW because he wants them to have more weight on the ICW than what they have at the moment" He lied as he smiled to his old and favorite student.

"If you say so Albus, but I still think that even you should take a little break from time to time" Continued the transfiguration teacher not believing one word that went out of the most powerful wizard of his time.

"I assume that you did not believe a word I said, didn't you ?" Inquiered Albus, his tired eyes twinkling with amusement at the fact that he could not fool Minerva this easily as she had past too much time with him this past fifty years.

"Well of course I didn't, but I would not have told you because you are smart enough to come to this conclusion yourself Albus" She replied equally amused before she went serious once again "What is really on your mind Albus ?"

"It happens that I didn't hear from young Lyria Potter for the past five months as I can't go to Potter Castle as she apparently excluded everyone but her and her house elf from the wards and the house elf did not come to see me and inform me of her situation" He explained in a whisper not breaking his focus on his glasses.

"Well it is quite understandable if you ask me. For someone that suffered this much isolation is frequent… Moreover with all the injuries she received because of her uncle and her cousin, maybe the fact that you are a man is not putting her at ease that you could possibly enter her home... I know that most women that suffered from the hands of men grow to hate them with such a burning passion that they can't even stand the sight of men without getting sick or overly violent... Maybe she is such a state at the moment and I think it is not wise for you to see her while she is not ready otherwise it could worsen her condition even more" Theorised the cat-lady now under the questioning gaze of the Headmaster.

"How could you know that Minerva ?" Dumbledore asked her trying to understand what she said and how to proceed if what she said was true and that Lyria's hatred did not limited itself to muggles but also to men.

"I've had a childhood friend that was the only girl of a seven siblings and that was constantly humiliated and beaten by her brothers. She hated men with such passion and with a fury that I rarely ever saw in any other eyes. The day her father married her to another pureblood heir, she ended up emasculating him when he tried to consume their union before killing him with blasting curse. After that I heard that she suicided letting only a letter after her explaining everything she had done and why she did that… It was a pretty dark and affraying story but I wanted to tell you this to make you see my point… Maybe Lyria is the same at the moment so it would be better if you were not the one to go and see her if she wants to talk to someone" She said in whispers, shuddering as she remembered painly of this friend of hers with such a tragic and morbid existence.

"Yes… Maybe you are right… However for the moment we can do nothing but wait for her to try and contact us as she doesn't respond to the letter I send her and sent the owl back to me with it let unopened and she did not try to contact me with her house elves… This only mean that we have to wait for her to make the first step towards us and then we will discuss how to proceed for her to be at ease and help getting what she wants from us whether it be informations or socialisation in the magical world" Finished Dumbledore as he stood up and bowed his head bidding his goodbye to his transfiguration teacher.

"I hope you know what you are doing Albus and that you are not pushing yourself too far" She mumbled as she stared at his back, before she returned to her half eaten lunch.

* * *

_At the same time - Potter Castle_

* * *

"Ash, Arcturus come here sweeties" Called the crystal voice of Lyria Potter that had recovered the ability to speak correctly three weeks ago.

As she called, two little doberman of two months each, run towards her and laid next to her in the fourth garden. The fourth garden was the one that situated itself on the ground behind the house and what a simple garden with no parterre or fountain, but that had a beautiful path delimited by two lines of red japanese erable creating some creating some sort of alley from the back of the house to the bridge leading to the fourth island and then to the bridge leading to the end of the grounds and the forest.

It was there that Lyria was sitting, among the the trees, in warm spring clothes that protect her from the last remain of the winter wind as they were at the beginning of April, with her two newly acquired companion. She wore a pair of brown oxfords, black cashmere stockings, navy blue suit pants, an white shirt under a navy blue pullover, a fluffy brown fur coat on and black cap with a fur earmuff. She began to rub their ears to prevent them to get too cold and she smiled at them with only care and happiness in her eyes.

Lyria had purchased her two dogs via Fily, claiming that she wanted two animals that would be gentle, caring and enjoyable to take care of yet fierce and athletic, so he ended up buying her twin doberman after searching for two months. This was a magical branch of the race that could rise at one hundred and twenty centimeters, weight eighty kilos once adult and live thirty years.

Once bounded to their master, mistress in their case, they would be overly protective of her and obey her like well trained muggle dog. Since she had bounded them to her, they followed her everywhere and were nothing but angels to her, always there to keep her company, play with her or just lay with in the grass enjoying a little afternoon nap. She grew to love taking care of them, brushing them twice a week, bathing them once a week, feeding them everyday whenever they asked for it and simply passed all her day with them even when she was in the little library of her house just reading or in her room while she slept or when she took care of her flowers and plants.

All in all, she thanked nearly everyday Fily for giving her such a great gift to what he always responded with a shy smile that it was only his duty to keep her satisfied and take care of her every needs. She loved her house elves too, as they were always there to respond to her question, make her dinner, helping her with the garden, explaining to her the things she didn't understand in her books or simply discussing with them as they were doing everything around the house that they had to care of.

Of course she tried to limit the amount of work they did each days because she thought that earned the right to rest from time to time, so she ordered them to take at least three pauses each day because if she only gently asked them they would refuse categorically. She was proud to have such faithful and loving servant so she made sure that she deserved such loving and hard working beings to be with her.

"Wouaf ! Wouaf !" Barked happily the two dogs as she scratched their head between their pointed ears. She found this a little barbaric to cut their ears like that, but they were already like that when Fily bought them so she couldn't do anything against it.

-I love you too sweeties" She smiled as she kissed their forehead making them bark once again and lick her cheeks as she giggled "Let's return in the house boys it is getting a little cold out there."

As she stood up, they followed her immediately and walked at her sides and sometimes brushed their ribs to her legs or pushed their nose in her gloved fingers to be pet, something that she was quite fond of doing. She hummed softly as she walked inside her house, loving her home more and more each day after another, she loved to be in the house of her family, a house with a history and with a soul.

She already discussed with some of her ancestors that were in the many painting all around the house despite the immense shock and fear it caused her the first she heard one of them talking to her. It took Pixi two hours to explain her the full process of making such paintings and how it was able to communicate with her and what type of memories it had. Now she grew fully accustomed to it and when one was awake in the room in which she was, she would always make a priority to have a little conversation with it in order to get to know some of her ancestor better and learn about her family or just have a casual conversation describing to them the weather or how things were nowadays inside the Castle.

She was really fond of those little things of life that gave her the opportunity to feel like she had a real family and feel like she was part of something bigger, an ancient and respected family that seemed to have been loved and appreciated by many. She loved to hear the stories that Pixi or Fily were telling her stories of her family, the battles of which they took part of, the politic tricks they used pass certain law, how they managed to create some kind of commercial arrangement with goblins and many more stories.

Today however she had decided that she could not bear the silence in her head anymore. It had been two weeks since the routine had broken after four and a half months, of quotidian lonely talk from the voice inside her head never to be responded to, when it stopped to speak completely. Before the voice stopped for good, it had only said one thing to her and it couldn't let her in peace.

_"I don't know what makes you ignore me like that, you must have your reasons but know that I hurt a little bit more each day that you ignore me. My life isn't all pink and shiny these days as my father and my older brother are fighting all the time to often end up on me receiving what my father doesn't throw at my brother… I wanted to tell you that I will not give up like I told you not to give up three months ago but I may not bear this very long… It already had been the third time this month that my father recharge his hatred on me and my sister as he received another letter from someone that spy on my brother at school and he is most displeased with his attitude… I know that you no longer want to have anything to do with me, it's pretty clear with your behavior towards me… I just wanted to tell you that maybe I won't be alive anymore the day you chose to start to talk to me again… I just wanted to tell you that I will never forget you and that I was happy to have shared a bound with you… I just wanted to tell you that I appreciated each and every conversation we had and each and every laugh and tears we shared… Maybe someday you will come at peace with your own demons and remember as a friend… Until then farewell my friend… I love you"_

Lyria did not manage to overcome her fear of being manipulated psychologically via her mind and was to afraid to initiate the link with her friend. Maybe she was just a fool to be this terrified but she could not muster the courage to overcome her fears.

This led her to take a decision that had asked her a lot of courage too but not the same type of courage. She asked Pixi to come and he came right away. After taking a deep breath she talked to him in a trembling voice as she could not go back now.

"Pixi, could you ask Albus Dumbledore to come to Potter Castle, I will let you enter with him, I would like to talk to him this afternoon if it is possible."

"Very well Mistress Lyria, Pixi will go right away and fetch Headmaster Dumbledore in no time" Assured the house elf as he bounced on his feet happily as he was glad that his Mistress tried to open to others than them, and disappeared.

"Ok now for the next step. Fily !" She called and he appeared out of thin air.

"What can Fily do for you Mistress Lyria ?"

"Can you prepare the parlour on the first floor and prepare some tea and cookies for me and my guest please" Demanded the Lady of the house.

"Of course Mistress it will be ready in a minute" He said as he popped away.

"Now I just have to wait, don't you think so boys ?" She asked her dogs as they barked like they were actually understanding her. Maybe they were as they were bonded to her, however she didn't know what it truly implied to be bonded to them.

The afternoon passed very slowly for Lyria as she waited in the little parlour on the first floor, playing some piano to kill the time, a hobby she had developed this past five months as she always wanted to play an instrument when she was at the Dursley's, but never dared to ask for her sake.

After four hours of waiting for Pixi to come back with the headmaster she grew bored and anxious thinking that maybe her seclusion had sent the wrong message to the old friend of her family and that now he thought of her as nothing but an ungrateful and annoying little girl. However as she was about to stand up and go to the dining room to eat whatever Fily had prepared her and then check on her many flowers before heading to bed, she heard a pop in the hall and the voice of Pixi.

Then she heard the same voice she hear five months ago that belong to the old Headmaster she presumed. This made her quite happy and very afraid at the idea of finally meeting him, an old, powerful, intelligent and experimented wizard. If he wanted to, she was sure that he could with one swift stroke of his wand erase her miserable existence from the face of the earth if what the books that related his exploits were saying the truth.

She heard the soft hand of Pixi knock at the door three times before he told her that he was back with the Headmaster and that he awaited her permission to enter. She took several deep breaths and tried to calm down her overwhelming fear and gather her courage to face for the first time in six months, a man.

"You may enter Pixi" She managed to say before her voice broke.

Thankfully, her two dogs sensed her thoughts and her emotional state and made their best to calm her and make her feel safe as they stood up on each sides of her armchair with fierce look on their face and the torso bulked out to appear more fearsome despite their little height for the moment. Then she heard the door opening itself and saw Pixi leading a tall man with white long hair, a equally long and white beard, semi moon glasses perched on a straight nose that appeared to have been broken in the past. He had twinkling blue eyes that shined with compassion, joy and something sadder that she could not describe.

"Hello Lyria, I am Albus Dumbledore, it is a pleasure to finally meet you awake and in good condition" He presented himself warmly and with a grandfatherly attitude that suited him just well as he stood not to close to her something she appreciated.

"It is a pleasure too to meet you Headmaster Dumbledore" She said as her voice still trembled a little but the presence of Pixi and her two good and fierce dogs reassured her a little bit.

"May I have a seat Miss Potter" He asked as he pointed to a chair in front of her making her realise of her improper behavior as the host.

"O...Of course, I'm sorry have a seat, Fily will give us some tea and cookies… Do you like tea and cookies ?" She inquired a little bit unsure if she was doing things correctly and if she did not appeared like a pure stuttering mess.

"Yes it will be perfect, don't worry about it a good tea and cookies will be fine" He assured her with a smile as the said tea and cookies appeared thanks to the house elf magic.

"Thank you for coming to see me Headmaster, I know that you must have a lot of work to do and that I did not make the best first impression on you when I relieved everyone but me from the wards. I apologise for my behaviour but I have been afraid to death that someone could enter and harm me even in my own house" She tried to justify herself to the best even if she knew that it was not the best way of getting in the good grace of someone that only wanted to help her.

"Don't mind this Miss Potter you were terrified and you wanted to protect yourself from potential danger. I would say that it was actually quite wise and smart of you to do so as I could have been someone that wanted you harm and you could not be sure of my intentions. However I am curious as to why you asked me to come here now of all time" He asked her interested in her state of mind.

"Well I have something that I wanted to talk about to someone that had the knowledge help me and I heard that you were an old friend of the family and that you were by far the most knowledgeable and wise man of Great Britain so I found it logical to call you. However I won't lie to you, it was a big decision for me to make as I am not at ease with other people at the moment" She responded to him. He even overheard her mumbled something about men being violent and it made him sighed.

"Lyria… May I call you Lyria ?" He asked for the permission and received it as she nodded slowly "I want to tell you something that has been plaguing my mind for the past six months and I owe you the truth. I don't want you to have anything to do with me if you don't judge me being worthy of your presence after I tell you what I have to."

"You're worrying me now… Speak so that i can understand, She pleaded as she felt that she would be most displeased by what she was about to hear in the following minutes.

"The truth is … ", Dumbledore launched himself in the full explanation of everything that he had done since the beginning of her parents implication in the last war.

He explained her the horror that was the war, how her parents defied the Dark Lord three times, how they went into hiding after her mother gave birth to her, how they were betrayed and she killed with an unknown power the Dark Lord and finally his decision to put her in the Dursley's 'care'. After he finished explaining how he found her and how his muggle friend saved her he went silent waiting for her to explode.

"I understand why you put me there, I understand why it was a necessity for me to stay in a protected area far away from the death eater, I understand why the blood relation was useful and a very good protection" She started calmly before she began to shake in her seat because of what he didn't know "But why did you left me there when Aunt Petunia died ! There were no protections after her death as you said so ! There were no reasons to leave me there ! I suffered worse than hell under his roof because you left me there ! WHY ?!"

"I… I didn't saw that your Aunt died… And the situation with her there seemed acceptable to me… And I was foolish enough to think that I could embrace a third political function… But I only ended neglecting you… I am terribly sorry Lyria… So sorry…"

"Your apologies will not change anything of what I had to endure ! Do you know how it feels like to be a slave to someone ! Do you know how one feels as he has to eat what is rotten in a bin to stay alive and not die from hunger ! Do you know how it feels to be locked in a dark and oppressing cupboard for weeks drinking your own piss to survive ! Do you know how it feels to be beaten up for the pleasure of someone else ! Do you know how it feels to be beaten to death by a drunkard that can't even remember his name ! DO YOU KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO BE RAPED BY YOUR OWN UNCLE WHILE BEING HALF DEAD !" She exploded, screaming at his face to the top of her lungs, the temperature of the room had dropped so low that ice started to form on the edges of her armchair.

Her face was contorted in the most hateful and the most hurt expression he ever saw a d for the first time of his life he was truly afraid. He was not afraid of her power as she only was a child, even if her demonstration if force was really impressive and above anything he witnessed for years. No. What truly afraid him, even terrified him was the fact that he had caused this to happen to her, that he was the cause of this infinitely deep hatred and pain. He was the one that created this and he was the only one to blame. But the last stroke was the last thing she said.

"Do you know how much I enjoyed it when I killed him ? I have never felt this good in my life as his blood flowed through my throat and ended in my stomach… I searched about what I felt and found something that scared me to death… Killing him gave me what the book called an orgasm if I remember well… Sometimes at night I feel like I should have enjoyed it more… And I hate myself for even thinking that but I can't help it… I hated him so much that killing him brought me the strongest and most powerful wave of pleasure and accomplishment that I ever felt in my life" Whispered Lyria still loud enough for him to hear as the temperature rose again slowly and she patted the head of her dog absentmindedly.

He couldn't say anything. He was completely gobsmacked. It was even worse than what he ever imagined. Grindelwald killed by necessity to realise his schemes and ambitions. Voldemort killed like it was the most normal thing in the world and did not felt any emotion from it, not thinking even a second of what it meant to take one's life. But Lyria enjoyed it. No, she even took so much pleasure that killing brought her to climax. And this was his doing.

He had created the most dangerous killer he ever saw in his whole life. To enjoy killing at this level was above his comprehension and it terrified him. What could he do to erase those feelings from her and make her feel like a normal human if she had to kill someone. He couldn't however muster the strength nor the courage to blame her for what she said. She had all the right to feel this way after everything she endured. She endured a treatment worse than any slaves or war prisoner of the ancient times, she endured things that he could not even imagined.

He saw all the scars that covered her back, her upper arms and the uncountable broken bones she had to suffer in the little time she lived. This was not living, it was fighting for her life constantly. Even stronger than this it was surviving. Surviving through any means. She had to degrade herself to the rank of the lowliest form of existence for a human. She had to feed from her excrement, drink from her pee, live in her own shit, locked in the dark, despised and hurted by everyone, humiliated by all, treated like a slave, used as nothing more that an object of distraction and pleasure.

Her life was not a life. It was the definition of hell. And he was the demon that put her here. He was the source of her suffering. He was the one that abandoned her to this with a smile on his face as he thought he had made the food decision. He was the one that destroyed her and reshaped her in a broken thing that enjoyed killing above everything in life. He was the one to blame and he was ready to face his punishment hoping to suffer at least a percent of what she had suffered. Hoping that he would not have a peaceful and suffer less death.

"I have failed you… I have wronged you… I have broken you… I am the cause of your suffering… I am ready to receive your hatred and your vengeance Lyria… Please don't feel restricted to let go of this rage that burn inside you" He told her tears rolling on his face and not doing the affront of looking away from her burning death like gaze. Her eyes at this moment were so much alike the infamous death spell.

"You are certainly right, it is all your fault… But do you know what ? I don't despise you as much as I despise my uncle or my cousins… You were wrong in all your decisions concerning me, you put me in this hell… But it is them that created this hell not you… I hate them so much that their pain and death is for me sweetest thing in the world… And one day I will feast on the rest of my whale of a cousin… But don't get me wrong, I still hate you with a strong fire but I want to let you a chance to change my vision of you… From your point of view I can't deny that you only seemed to have my best interests at mind… Maybe one day I will stop to hate you, maybe…"

"I don't think that I deserve this chance… But I won't go against you decision as it is your choice to make" He said as he bowed his head not bothering sweeping his tears away.

"Despite all the wrongs you did to me I wanted to thank you… Because what I had to go through did not kill and you saved my life when I had give up on life… You brought me back into good shape and I feel alive for the first time in... For the first time of my life… And I have something I want you to help me on…"

"Ask and I shall do everything fo help you Lyria, I owe you more than one favor" He said with a forced smile on his face as he looked way older than twenty minutes ago, his eyes mirroring all the sadness of the world.

"Are you a legilimens ? Or do you know something about the mind arts" She asked bluntly making his eyes grow wide at the sudden question on such a debated form of magic.

"Yes I am and I know everything that has been discovered in this field of magic… But why are you asking me this… I don't think you know a single thing about magic other than what you elves told you" Inquired the old man wary to feed her interest at such a young age on a subject that could be used in so many wrong ways.

"You are right, I don't really know much on magic. To be honest my knowledge is very limited despite what Pixi and Fily explained to me and what I read in the books of the library. If I ask you this, it's because I have a voice that is in my head and that communicate with me for as long as I can remember and I wanted to know if you could help me with this and reassure me that it isn't someone that is trying to harm me with this sort of bond or link" She said pointing to her head.

Dumbledore looked at her cautiously and analysed what she just said to him. She seemed to have a voice inside of her head that could come from a human being from what she suspected and the voice was with her since her childhood. This did nothing to reassure him that everything would one day be alright with Lyria Potter, her life really was a mess, he thought. He stood up and walked one step closer to Lyria that pushed herself further into her armchair afraid about his sudden move. He then kneeled before her and took his wand in his hands, one at each ends.

"You see Lyria, this is a wand. My wand to be correct. This is what helps me use magic, however when one is sufficiently strong and well versed in the magical arts, he can hope to one day use wandless magic. I am one of those, however a wizard is always stronger not matter what with a wand than without one. And in certain form of magic you require more than a wand to perform it like the runic magic, the potion arts, the soul, blood and mind arts too. If one was to perform legilimency on you, he would need to establish an eye contact with you or if he really is a gifted person, only seeing your eyes would be necessary to perform the magic. I am explaining you this because I want you to understand that I think the voice you are hearing has nothing to do with legilimency nor the mind arts" Methodically and calmly explained the old wizard, making his point the clearer and the easier to understand possible for the young and novice girl.

"I understand. But what is it then ? Is the voice only in my mind and not belong to anyone ? Is it what is called schizophrenia ? Inquired the young girl that was at the same time relieved that she was not manipulated through her mind and afraid that maybe she was more broken than she had thought to be.

"I don't think it is the case fortunately. However, I suspect that for some reasons you might have some sort of language ability meaning that you could communicate with things that normal human and magician can't and that you are hearing the voice of something that isn't hearable by anyone else. Or the second option would be that you have some sort of link or bond to someone else but I would find this quite disturbing and worrisome as I don't remember you having such a bond the day I left you at the Dursley and I examined you to assure you well being, He finished in a whisper knowing that her well being had surely not been ensured by him, quite the opposite, but Lyria said nothing about it seeming not to care about it.

"I think it is most probably the second option as the voice told me about her life, what she was doing and how she learned magic too because she was a witch" Continued Lyria after he exposed his two hypothesis, … She always talked to me… Until she stopped to talk two weeks ago…

"She stopped to talk ? Are you not talking back to her ?" He pressed all the more confused after she had confirmed his second option.

"Not since my operation… I as afraid that she was also one those that wanted to harm me… So I stopped to respond out of fear… But I can't bear the silence anymore that's why I asked your help… I want to talk to her because she what closer of a friend I have… But she said that she was probably going to die… " Cried Lyria as she thought about her friend and how she must feel after being rejected by her mind friend for nearly five months and if the jolt of pain she sometime received at random hours where any indication, she must be suffering her lot of pain too.

"I see… Well I could have a solution to vanish your fear and your incertitudes… But it would imply letting me inspect your mind via legilimency and analyse the bound that should be visible attached to your magical core if it is really a bond to someone else" He proposed not sure if she was simply letting him have access to her mind.

"If it is necessary for you to analyse it and help me with my problem go on Headmaster, I have nothing to hide, my memories are not particularly precious nor enjoyable… Good luck dealing with them though" She joked but their was not a hint of humor in her voice and no smile made its way on her lips.

"I will do my best. Now please open your eyes wide and try to concentrate like you were about to talk to the voice. Good it will make my task easier if you can stay concentrated. I am beginning. Legilimens !" As he said the incantation and flicked his wand in a swift circular movement, he entered her mind as Lyria went frozen in place.

Once in her mind, he saw all around him the classic flow of images and or moving memories that were stocked in her mind and brain. He tried not to pay any attention to them and stay focus on his task. He did pretty well in avoiding to look into the memories even if he saw some images he wished he had not see. After a minute, he arrived at a white door that he opened to enter her real mind and the siege of her magical core.

What he saw there was not what he had expected, actually it was the complete opposite of what he has in mind as to what Lyria's mind would look like. He thought that he was going to enter in a devastated war zone with a blood red sky with with atrocious sound of endless suffering and rage, or something that was in the same theme. However, he entered in a beautiful garden, with wonderful colors and a perfect dark blue sky sprinkled with shining star and a very big moon reflecting itself on the basin in the center of the garden. When he thought about it, the garden looked really similar to the many gardens of the Potter Castle, with french parterre and cutted bushes and trees. Little white flames were dancing in the air flowing between the many trees and flower.

And there it was, above the center of the basin was a faintly glowing crimson liquid giant ball that floated in the air, seeming like it was turning around itself very slowly and some sort of little waves on the surface of it. He thought that her magical core was very big and it did not surprised him this time because her mother and father were both powerful wizards and the family of her father was known to be powerful too as he saw firsthand in the past with Charlus and Fleamont Potter.

He walked through the perfect parterres, before he had to step into the basin that was only two feet deep and he approach carefully from her magical core. The closer he got, the colder it got and he noted only now that the water had turn to ice, not only the surface but the whole center formed a sort of iceshore. He climbed on the ice bloc and got in arm length of the core. He circled it to see if there was any string of magic going out of it in any direction that could indicate the presence of her bond to the other wizard or witch.

After ten minutes of observation, he finally saw it, a small golden string of magic escaped the core and was going straight to the sky. He was happy to have found it this quickly on such a big sphere that served as Lyria's core. He then began to cast some spells on it that would provide him some basic information at first before he could begin to cast the big ones that would make him understand it with a great precision.

"Link Origenem" This gave him the first information he needed to confirm whether the bound found his origin in a spell or if it was a natural one. It taught him that his origin was natural and not from a spell reassuring him and later Lyria.

"Ratione Nexus" As he casted the second spell, he earned the knowledge of the nature of the bond and what he saw had the effect of a punch in the solar plexus. What he saw in front of him written in black letter with purple borders left him gobsmacked : "_Soulmate bond"_. After this he only had one spell to know the rest but he didn't know what could be more important than what he just learned.

"Cor Link Index" He recited as his wand glow in a golden light before a little list appeared in front of him :

"_Age of the bond : Eight years and Seven months"_

"_Participant :"_

_Name : Lyria Potter - Birthdate : 31 July 1989 - Race : Vampire - _

_Name : Daphne Greengrass - Birthdate : 11 December 1989 - race : Vampire -_

"_Bond compatibility : 99% - Rarity : Unique"_

"_Specificities :"_

_Telepathy_

_Sensations share_

_Exclusivity_

When Dumbledore finished reading this, he could not find the strength to say anything. He would have never expected to analyse a bond like this in his whole life. Bond between two beings were already a rare occurrence and even among those, Soulmate bonds were the rarest form of bond. It was said that there existed only one soulmate pair per generation for each race, and it had to be Lyria of all of them. "_Them ?"_ He thought as read once again the description of the bond and his eyes grew wider.

"They are not the pair of soulmate of the wizard kind, but this of the vampire kind !" He exclaimed as he could not tear his gaze from their race.

He then thought about it. How many vampires still existed in the world after "The Great Vampire Purge" and the carnage of the Ferveret Sanguis. According to the recent studies, they were a race on the verge of extinction, moreover they were known to live approximately over two centuries meaning that maybe they were the only young vampires born this generation and then, the only one able to take upon the bond for their race.

He still couldn't accept the fact that he was in the presence of a vampire, even if he discovered it quite some time ago, let alone one of the soulmate of this race's generation. Then something clicked in his own mind and he thought : "_Daphne Greengrass ? Greengrass ? A Vampire ? One, if not the most, supremacist and racist Pureblood of Great Britain was a vampire ? Impossible… Then it must be his wife… But how could he have not realised it ? I will have to investigate carefully on this…"_ Thought the old Headmaster that stopped the legilimency spell and returned to his body pretty quickly.

As he came back to his senses, he walked back to his armchair and crossed his fingers under his nose and took a pose of concentration as he summarized what he had discovered. He was pretty sure that he understood everything that had been found by the spells except for one specification : Exclusivity. What could that possibly mean, he had no idea for the moment and it only implied one thing : he would have to do some research. He looked up from the floor to see Lyria looking at him with a pointed gaze and an air of annoyance, showing her impatience to know what he had discovered.

"Well Headmaster Dumbledore… What did you find ? Can you tell me anything ?" She asked after she lost patience in front of his lack of movement and response.

"It seems that your bond is quite a rare one, it is a bond that is known only to be found in very few people each generations. First of all what I can tell you is that whoever you are connected to, is not someone that want you harm but is only someone like you that is enjoying the advantages and privilege of such a bond. Secondly, the bond you share with this person is very very strong and cannot be removed by any other means than death. And finally I can confirm the fact that it was not place upon you and your counterpart by anyone else but magic itself" Explained Dumbledore that had chosen to keep some details to himself for the moment.

He did that in order to protect her from the implications of such bond and the fact that he didn't want her to think her life was dictated by some sort of bond and that she could not chose who to love and who not to love. From what he knew about the rare soulmate that wrote a book explaining their situation, it did not mean that they were in the obligation to chose another partner than their soulmate or unable to do so, just that their soulmate was supposed to be the person that was the most compatible to correspond them and that it would bring them enhanced sensations and emotions to live with them and love them.

"Somehow… I think you are lying to me Headmaster" She said lowly and confused about her intuition causing the Headmaster's eyes to widen a little bit before he composed himself quickly, but he had been spotted.

"I didn't lie to you Lyria but I must admit that I didn't tell you everything" Admitted the old Headmaster.

"And why is that ? I thought you were ready to repent of your sins to me ? Don't I deserve the right to know ?" Interrogated the young Potter heiress.

"Yes, yes of course you deserve to know but… I think that maybe some things are not to be spoken before you had the time to grow more and become more… " He started before she interrupted him.

"Mature ? Old ? Wise ? Don't give me this bullshit Headmaster… I know that I am just a little girl, I know that I am not mature enough to understand certain things but I suffered enough from every types of torture to know that not a great many things affray me at the moment… I know that you can't tell me everything about many things in the world because I won't be able to understand them or judge them with enough calm and reflexion… But I at least want a reason, a real reason that could prevent you from telling me" She only asked, proving him wrong that she was in fact because of everything that happened to her, more mature and wise and intelligent that he thought she was.

"I didn't gave you enough credit for yourself Lyria and once again I find myself apologising to you for my mistake, He began with a sigh, I will tell you everything that is not really an issue now and I don't think won't be in the future. It seems that you are bonded to someone your age, a little younger if I remember well, and it is a girl like you. Also, from what I learned, you possess some sort of a share of emotions and sensations" When he said that she nodded her head meaning that she already knew that.

"She told me that she had suffered like hell when I was injured after… 'This day' " She explained to him and he simply nodded.

"Well that is interesting… Hum, well, He cleared his throat before he continued on some of things that he thought he could tell her, And finally I think that I can only tell you one thing. It is something that I had discovered quite some time ago and that I wanted to reveal to you because I think it is necessary for you to understand your nature and to help you cope with some issues that may arrive in the future" He stopped and look at her to see if she was ready and if she wanted to hear it.

"Please continue" She only responded feeling like she already knew what he was going to say but at the same time she wasn't sure if he was talking about the same thing as what she thought.

"Lyria, I made some research on your family with books that very little people have access to in the whole world about very secretive, ancient and nearly forgotten subjects and I came up with this… You are the descendant of an aristocratic italian vampire family called the Potteria. As eighty percent of your race, your family has been hit by a disease only affecting the vampires named the Feveret Sanguis and that makes your blood boil constantly until you die or lose your vampire's heritage and powers. Your family is a branch of this family that had been hit by this disease and went to create themselves a new life in Great Britain. However while none of your Potter ancestor were vampires because of the remaining genes of the disease, you are indeed a vampire, somehow you are the first to have overcome the curse of the Feveret Sanguis" He explained trying to summarize his story yet keeping the most important details.

"I knew it…"

"What ? What did you say ? How could you possibly know ?" Asked incredulous the old Headmaster.

"I didn't know… Not really… It's just… I felt like something was wrong with me… And the events of This day kept coming to my mind… The more I saw them, the more this feeling and idea grew in my head… I didn't know I was a vampire and yet I felt like I knew I was something different even from a wizard" She explained confused by her own intuition and the fact that she now had the confirmation that she was indeed a vampire.

"Well, from an intelligent girl like you it was to be expected, He chuckled lightly before he said something else, I know that you know that I didn't tell you everything about the bond. First I know who you are bonded to… But I think it would be better and funnier for you to find out on your own. Moreover it will seem pretty obvious to you the first time you will encounter her."

"Well you have a point, I wouldn't have like to be told who she was, I too think it would be better for us to find out who we are each other" She said "And for the other thing ? There's something else isn't it ?"

"Yes there is two other thing but I think that for the first one it is not my place to say it and for the second, I really think that it would be better if you never found out what it is because for you life will suddenly become much duller and you could lose something that I think is essential in life and that I personally, regret to have never enjoyed this experience in life. I don't want you to grow old like me and regret just as I regret for you long life, because if you find me old, you will be surprised to learn that my age is just half as old as what a normal vampire can age" He told her as he smiled sadly when he catch her gaze.

"I want to trust you Headmaster, I want to believe that you only have my well being and best interest at mind… After all, why would you be here helping me a little eight years old girl when you are so busy, if you didn't care about me and didn't think I was important to you… So I will trust you and let you keep these two informations from me but i also want you to keep them for yourself… It can be our little secret with you as its keeper, right ?" Proposed the black haired and green eyed girl as she gave him a little smile, her opinion of the old Headmaster having already bettered with today's discussion.

"This is a promise Lyria, you can count on me" He sweared as he extended his hand for her to take it, and after a moment of hesitation, her trembling hand grasped his and shook it twice before she quickly retrieve her hand and rubbed it like she was in some sort of pain.

"Maybe we will erase sooner than I thought our different of the past Headmaster."

"Don't give me too much credit and don't give me your trust or forgiveness too quickly… I need to earn it properly and with manner and actions… You deserve way better than what I offered you until now Lyria and I am ready to become a better person for you… One day we will be able to call each other friends I hope" He said with a small smile before he stood up and bowed to her before he asked "Do you want anything else from me tonight Lyria or can this old man retire to his warm and comfy bed in a student's crowded castle ?"

"You may go Headmaster… Thank you for tonight it helped me a lot and cleaned the air between us… Good night Headmaster" Bowed Lyria after she stood up too and called Pixi to help the old man return quickly to his quarters in Hogwarts.

Once the old wizard had left her house, she walked quickly to her room, brushed her teeth, put her pajamas on and climbed in her bed under her silk and warm multiples layer of sheets and blankets. Then she closed her eyes and her breathing became even as she concentrated on what she had to do, when she was ready, she did it.

"_My friend it's me… I owe you more than a little apologise… I come to repair our friendship if it can still be saved…"_


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's note :**

Hello Readers,

Here is the chapter 3 of my Harry Potter fanfiction : A Vampire's Life.

I hope you will enjoy this chapter as much as the two precedent (If you enjoyed them in the first place but I assume you have if you read the chapters one and two and that you are still here).

Well this chapter ends the pre-Hogwarts part of the story and will lead to the fourth chapter were the first year will begin.

The chapter is a little bit more than 14k words and I apologize if there are any spelling mistakes (I am French but I try my best I swear !)

Well I wont't continue to talk any longer and I will let you enjoy this chapter for those of you who waited it for a week.

Oh by the way, it would be really cool and instructive if you could leave a little review if you have the time and envy to help me improve and let me know what you like and dislike about this fanfiction or if you have any suggestions to make for the future of this fanfiction ( I'll try to make them fit with the story I hvae in mind).

Enjoy !

* * *

Chapter 3 : Pain, Fear, Hatred and Relief

* * *

_Potter Castle - Lyria's Bedroom_

* * *

"_My friend it's me… I owe you more than a little apologise… I come to repair our friendship if it can still be saved… I owe you so much… You always stayed by my side as I was suffering even when I had given up you cheered me up and you gave me a reason to live… I was afraid that maybe you were someone that was manipulating my mind… Someone that wanted to harm me… I was blinded by my fear and I neglected and ignored you… I am so sorry… I don't know how to make it up to you…"_

As she began her apology she was only greeted by a terrifying and blank silence that did nothing to ease her fear that she had lost her friend. Her bondmate. For whatever it meant that she was bonded to this girl that was her friend, she didn't care at the moment. At this moment she couldn't contain her tears as she fought the pain that pierced through her heart when she thought that she probably had abandoned to death her only friend without any proper explanation, nor apology, nor moral support.

She had lashed out at the old Headmaster only one hour ago and here she was analysing her behavior towards her friend and she thought : "_I am no different that the Headmaster, I let her in the hell that was her own home and neglected her because I was afraid that maybe she was going to harm me like everyone else in the past. I really am a despicable scum too. I didn't deserved her"_. At this moment, she couldn't stop the tears to run freely on her cheeks as she stared at her bed ceiling.

"_I know you probably hate me for abandoning you to your demons and I don't ask for your forgiveness… I just want to let you know that I am terribly sorry… I am and will remain a despicable piece of shit that only think about her before the others… I am so selfish when you always was so selfless, always caring for me more than for yourself, always there to support me when I let you to suffer at home because I only cared for my safety and comfort… I don't know if you still want to listen to me after my betrayal but… I really need to talk to you, to hear your voice, to know that you are alright and that you are alive… Once again I am selfish… I just want to know for myself… I don't deserve such a friend as you…"_

Lyria curled up in her bed, hiding her face under the blankets, hugging her knees close to her chest as he sobbed. She clutched at where her heart was over her pajamas not able to bear the pain that she felt right at this spot. She couldn't understand the reason why she hurt so much, was it the pain one felt when they were dying from guilt and remorse. She couldn't bear the idea that she had let a friend to die, her only friend, the always so kind, cheerful and supportive girl that had done everything to make her a life slightly better.

Her breath began to grow uneven and ragged, her eyes were closed so tights that it made her suffer, she clawed at her chest under her pajamas' top, her long and sharp nails scratching her flawless white skin and her aquarius-like scar that went from one shoulder to the other on her collarbones began to glow a sickly red color. The temperature in the room was falling at an impressive rate, the walls were covered by a fine layer of ice, the glass were beginning to crack under the pressure the ice was exercising on them. But Lyria didn't seem to notice the drop of temperature quite the contrary, she felt like she was burning from the inside, she threw her sheets and blankets of from her body to stop the sensation of heat that assaulted her.

Then all of a sudden she opened of tears filled eyes wider than ever, she got out of her pajamas and began to scream at the new pain that was pulsing through her entire body. It was unbearable she thought, she wouldn't survive this time, it was too much, why was it always happening to her. She felt like her blood was boiling inside of her body, her lungs and heart felt like they could burst aflame at any random time, and her bones felt so much heavier than before that she couldn't move anymore.

Then she remembered one thing between two pulses of her boiling blood inside her veins. "_Feveret Sanguis : The boiling blood disease"_. This was it, she had already felt this pain once in the past, she had felt it among every other pain she was suffering 'This day'. Then it clicked to her, she was experiencing the same pain because she was a vampire and the first from her family to have overcome the disease as the Headmaster said. Maybe he was wrong, maybe she had just overcame it for a certain amount of time and now, she was going to die because she was too weak.

"_I am too weak… I can't fight it… It's killing me… I am sure you feel my pain too… I am sorry to make you experience it once again… Argh !... You deserved better than to be bonded to a filthy vampire like me… I am so sorry my friend… Argh!... Bear it a little longer… once I die you won't have to suffer because of me anymore I swear… I"_

"_NO ! ARGH !... IT'S !… IT'S ME !... ARGH !... THAT IS AWAKENING !... HELP ME !... ARGH !... Stay with me !... ARGH !..."_

Lyria couldn't understand what was happening. What did her friend told her ? Was it her friend that screamed in agony in her mind ? What did she meant by she was awakening ? Was it normal ? Wasn't she the one that was in pain ? Was she feeling what her friend was feeling at the moment ? She didn't understand anything at the moment with her mind clouded by this much pain but she knew one thing : her friend was in pain and needed her.

"_Don't give up ! Fight it ! Fight the pain !... I… I already felt it… 'This day'… You need to be stronger than it !… For it to stop you need to fight it !... I'm here for you now don't give up !... Don't give up !"_

"_I beg you make it STOP !... ARGH !... HELP ME !... Please help me !... I can't bear it anymore !... Help me !... I beg you !..."_ She screamed for Lyria's help desperately as she couldn't contain the pain anymore.

"_Concentrate on my voice ! Don't let the pain overcome you !... Argh !... You can't give up ! Not now ! You have to live !... Argh !... For you !... For me !... Don't give up ! Fight it !... Argh !... If you don't fight you can't win !... You are stronger than it !... If I could beat it six months ago so can you !..."_ Lyria said as she couldn't bear the pain too but, she refused to let her friend suffer alone through all this after she had neglected her for five months.

"_Thank you… To be here with me !… When I suffer… Thank you !... I couldn't bear it… alone… ARGH !... I'm fighting it !... The pain !... The pain is fading slightly !... I will make it out !... I will survive … Thank you my friend… Thank you… If not for you… I wouldn't be able to overcome this… Thank you…"_

They continued to talk to each other between their pained rattle and their pulsing boiling blood. Their suffering last for thirty other minutes, continuously fading more with each minute that passed. They supported each other in this death-defying test, they stayed conscious with each other for the whole duration of their suffering and finally, everything went back to normal, as if nothing had happened. However this challenge, this seemingly unbearable and endless pain they suffered together brought them closer than they ever were in the past.

"_The pain stopped… I no longer feel this pain and my blood boiling… I would have never thought that I would have to feel this once again after 'This day'... But we made it…"_ Exhaled hardly Lyria as she was out of breath after this much screaming and agony.

"_Yes… We made it… Thanks to you…"_ Continued Daphne, not that Lyria knew her name, as for her she just was my friend like Lyria was for Daphne.

"_No ! We made it together… We beat it together… It was a team effort my friend"_

"_True… Thank you for being here for me… I know that it must have been hard for you… To ignore your fear of being manipulated or hurt through me… I don't blame you… I know how hard it is for you to trust someone and how you fear to be hurt by anyone… I am sorry to have make you experience this pain once again… When I felt through you six months ago I knew it… That you were a vampire… I am one too… I wasn't sure before because I didn't had my awakening yet… But now, I am sure of it… We have both overcome the Feveret Sanguis… Together…"_ She told Lyria with a ragged breathing.

"_How did you know you were probably a vampire before tonight ?"_ Asked her Lyria incredulous as to how her friend could know it before anything had happened.

She had suspected it when she had seen first hand how she killed her uncle, how alive she felt after drinking his blood and also after seeing many very old paintings of her ancestor that all had the stereotypes of the vampire, from muggle folklore, on their face, pale skin, long canines and strangely glowing eyes, something that totally disappeared after the first two generations of the Potter.

"_I trust you with this information my friend… But know that in our society, vampires are hated or despised… So the day we meet for the first time and you will know who my family is, I trust you not to reveal this secret"_

"_I swear to you it will be secret between the two of us my friend"_

"_My mother is a vampire and she told me that I was her only child that had inherited her nature and her powers"_ She began to explain to Lyria the conversation she had with her mother a month ago.

* * *

_Two weeks ago - Greengrass Castle - West coast - Lancashire_

* * *

The Greengrass Castle was an enormous medieval fortress that was built with magic in the early thirteenth century, built and designed to resist to the attacks of of possible enemies that could possess dragons in their ranks. The castle was built on top of a hill in the form of an hexagon with a circular tower at each vertices with a thick and high stone wall protecting the dungeon. In the past, it used to have on another layer of wall and tower with another gatehouse, but it had been removed three centuries ago when things calmed down in magical britain and a stable government had been put in place, ruling the country.

The dungeon, actual house of the Greengrass family had five floors and was hosting the whole family, every branch of the Greengrass were living there with the main family. They formed alone, something that could be called a clan instead of a family, as they counted twenty-two members in total. The head of the clan was Lord Cyrus Greengrass, one of the wealthiest and most respected pureblood of all magical britain, but also one the most conservationist and racist of them.

Cyrus Valerian Greengrass was a very tall man of six feet and five inches, with a muscular and strong stature that could belong to an athlete. He had shoulder length sunflower blond hair attached in a low ponytail, a goatee beard, and cold icy blue eyes, with aristocratic features and a cream colored skin.

Over his right eyes, he had an vertical thin yet very red scar that cutted his eyebrow in two and severed his cheekbone, a mark that decorated his face for fourteen years now. It was a the everlasting reminder of his fight against the famous auror Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody, that inherited his surname because of Cyrus himself. He was a cold and heartless man that was loyal and devoted to his family body and soul and that believed that wizard were superior to every being on earth and that the Greengrass were above all the wizards.

He was married to Anastassia Natalia Maria Greengrass, an immensely beautiful russian women, often referred to as the most beautiful women of Britain, that had very long ash blond hair, deep dark orange eyes that seemed to glow in the dark, a porcelain white skin, perfect blood red lips, naturally shaped eyebrows and long sensual eyelashes. She was reputed to be a woman of few words, very intelligent and powerful, that was equally known for her condescendance and superior airs. Very few were the one that dared to address to her and let alone challenge her for her attitude as she always had this dangerous and icy cold aura around her, an aura that resembled the dormant bloodlust of a cold blooded killer.

The two of them had three children that inherited they gifted looks and spirit, a son and two daughters. Their heir was named Benedict Ivan Anthony Greengrass, a fourteen years old boy, that was actually studying in Hogwarts in the Slytherin House. He was tall and muscular for his age, a carbon copy of his father and was known for his great power and potential, however he was in constant conflict with his father, not sharing his visions on how to rule and manage their family business even they shared the same view of the world.

Their second child was an eight years old girl and their first daughter, named Daphne Anastassia Elizabeth Greengrass. If Benedict was a carbon copy of his father, Daphne was almost the perfect replica of her mother and was already acknowledged as the future most beautiful women of Britain by Witch Weekly. The only difference between her and her mother was that she was said to have softer features, a less stern and lifeless attitude, something that was appreciated by the press it seemed.

Their last child was a five years old girl called Astoria Natasha Victoria Greengrass. Astoria looked very alike her father and older brother, having inherited all the same features and looks with the more feminine attraits of her mother and sister. She was a very shy and protected girl, never exposed to the press and hatched by her father. She was the favorite child of her father, and it was clearly shown in Greengrass Castle as Cyrus did not tried a second to hide his preference saying that life was unfair and no one was equal even in a family and that some were prefered and other despised.

The main branch family was very clearly divided in two part : Cyrus, Benedict and Astoria on one part, and Anastassia and Daphne on the other one. If he tried not to show it outside of his home in front of the press and his friends, it was still commonly known that Cyrus had no affection or interest in his second daughter, merely acknowledging her as his daughter, sometimes even hatred filled his eyes as he looked at her.

Anastassia had never been a woman that showed any of her emotions or that was very talkative yet the day she gave birth to Daphne was the only day her husband saw her break in tears and show a demonstration of pure love and adoration. Never had she shown this emotion when she gave birth to Benedict, this day she only looked at him with indifference and limited her contact with the child. When she gave birth to Astoria it had been the same scenario, a mere nod to the nurse that helped her give birth a pat on the head of her newborn child then a mask of indifference.

The contact between Daphne and her father were very limited, so much so that she couldn't remember the last time they had spoken two full sentences in row to each other. The same could be said about her siblings with their mother as she never said anything to them, and if they dared address to her, trying to receive some motherly love, they would be greeted mere indifference and simple sentence to dismiss them. That was the daily life of the main branch at Greengrass Castle and the hierarchy was very well known and respected, the auxiliar branches of the family limited their contact with the main branch as it was proper behaviour and obeyed to the orders of the Lord of the family.

However everyone in the family knew full well who was the real chief of the family even if no one dared to say it out loud. Cyrus hated to admit it to himself but his wife creeped the hell out of him, it was a sensation that he only felt in the presence of the Dark Lord in the past, like he was a mere uninteresting prey that should watch his behaviour next to the predator if he wanted to stay alive and live a somewhat agreeable life. Anastassia was more powerful than him and had the respect of the Dark Lord in the past when he presented her to him as it was proper to do so. Even if the Dark Lord was way more powerful than his wife, it didn't eased him to know that she had his favors.

And for the last two months, he had overstepped the unspoken line between them. He had many arguments with his son over the winter break while his wife was nowhere to be seen, having claim to have to go visit some family back in russia for two months. All of those factor cause him to do something that he now regretted with very fiber of his body. As he couldn't muster the will to beat the hell out of his son for defying him and lecturing him on how he thought he was managing like a troll the business of the family, he had lashed out his frustration on his second daughter that had no one to defend her.

He always hated her. She was the perfect copy of his monster of a wife, that he learned after four years of marriage that she was a vampire, and he was sure that Daphne was a monster too. She was too much loved and protected by her heartless and monstrous mother for her not to be anything but a vampire. Everytime he looked at her, he saw the perfect beauty of his wife, the same cold and dark eyes that glowed in the dark, the same long and pointed canines, the same blood red lips, the same bloodlust and icy aura.

To him, she was even worse than her mother because she was the only one of his three children that inherited the perfect traits of her mother while his two other children had to do with his good but not perfect looks. This injustice for his two beloved children was unbearable for him, to him she had stolen this chance from her siblings and for that she needed to be punished. So for the last two months, he had released all his frustrations and anger at her, whenever someone dared to talk back to him, to deny him a contract, to belittle him in the wizengamot he said nothing and keep everything inside until he came home to unleash everything at Daphne.

He had beaten her more than he could count, treated her like waste and made her life hell for all that she was guilty of in his eyes. After the days passed, he began to also blame for everything that he couldn't blame his wife of doing and everything that his wife had reserved to her and not to Benedict and Astoria. Daphne live a pure hell for two months straight with her father, her that had not been around him for more than two or three hours in a row for her entire life.

She endured and received everything he lashed at her as she couldn't do anything to stop him. She began to understand what her mind friend had to live through while she live at her relatives, when she said that life was meaningless and that death was a better fate that hers she understood now. However, she knew that what she was enduring was lighter than what her friend endured. Why ? Because she wasn't suffering from the morning to the evening but only when her father was at home and she still had full access to the entirety of the castle, she was not a slave, a prisoner or an unwanted animal inside of her house, only to her father when he was home.

She was prepared to receive the same treatment tonight when her father was coming home, she was sure that tonight would be like every other night for the past two months. It was in moments like this that she fully understood how much protection and love her mother was providing her everyday. When the evening arrived with the sound of her giant clock was heard resonating in her bedroom, she shivered and embraced her leg on her bed, dreading the moment her father would pass the safety line of her bedroom to bring her in his room to make her suffer like she was some sort of abomination and not one of his daughter.

When she heard someone walk in the hall out of her room she began to tear out and shake in fear, she felt like tonight would be the night were the line would be broken, she felt like she was not going to be able to endure another punishment. So as a last thought, she thought while trying to reach the mind of her friend.

_"I don't know what makes you ignore me like that, you must have your reasons but know that I hurt a little bit more each day that you ignore me. My life isn't all pink and shiny these days as my father and my older brother are fighting all the time to often end up on me receiving what my father doesn't throw at my brother… I wanted to tell you that I will not give up like I told you not to give up three months ago but I may not bear this very long… It already had been the third time this month that my father recharge his hatred on me and my sister as he received another letter from someone that spy on my brother at school and he is most displeased with his attitude… I know that you no longer want to have anything to do with me, it's pretty clear with your behavior towards me… I just wanted to tell you that maybe I won't be alive anymore the day you chose to start to talk to me again… I just wanted to tell you that I will never forget you and that I was happy to have shared a bound with you… I just wanted to tell you that I appreciated each and every conversation we had and each and every laugh and tears we shared… Maybe someday you will come at peace with your own demons and remember as a friend… Until then farewell my friend… I love you"_

However when her door opened, she didn't saw the form of her father, instead she only saw the elegant and beautiful form of her mother, her eyes shining with love and what seemed to be guilt as she looked at her yet there was also something else in her gaze that made her blood freeze in her veins. Pure fury, that was what she could read in the gaze of her mother.

"Daphne dear, come here. Mama is home and she wants a hug from her beautiful and perfect little daughter", She only said as she smiled at her and extended her arms for her daughter to take refuge in their protection. As she did so, she began to cry in the neck of her mother, her body aching when her mother rubbed her back and her arms.

"It hurts Mama, it hurts so much" She only said between her silent cries.

"Sh, sh. Don't worry dear, Mama will take care of everything. Your father won't go unpunished when he comes back home. Mama will make everything come into order" Affirmed her mother with a dangerous certainty in her voice that announced nothing good for her father. And that was twenty minutes after she said that, while they were still hugging silently now, that they heard a crack and then the booming voice of her father.

"DAPHNE ! COME HERE ! DON'T MAKE ME COME AND SEEK YOU IF YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO SLEEP TONIGHT !" Threatened the imperious voice of her father making the young girl double her cries and hide deeper in the embrace of her mother, he body shivering like a feather under a tornado.

As she didn't move to see her father, he came to her room screaming like a madman. When he arrived however, he went completely silent as he saw his wife embracing her daughter and his eyes grew wider than ever in his life as he realised that he was probably the one that would not be going to sleep tonight. What he saw in the dark orange eyes of his wife announced nothing but hell itself.

"Hello Cyrus. I am glad to see that you are well and taking care of my daughter" The cold and emotionless voice of Anastassia was heard very clearly despite the low intonation she used.

"Anastassia… I… I can…" he began only to be stopped by a single finger being rose from his wife.

"I never thought that someone with a well functioning brain such as you will have to be teach a behaviour and boundaries lesson" She simply said as she stood up with her daughter still in her arms, carrying her with ease and a love only she, deserved, from the cold woman. "Follow me and don't speak a word" She finished as she started to walk in the long corridors of the castle not bothering to look if he had obeyed as she knew he would have if he wanted to live past this night.

They came to a stop in front of the bedroom of Astoria and she motioned with her head to Cyrus to open the door and bring along his second daughter. He executed slowly dreading what her wife had in mind for his beloved little princess. He knocked and entered the room and asked his daughter to follow him and her mother in silence as she was about to ask a question. Then they continued they walk to the living room of their quarters.

Once there she sat on the big sofa and sent a death glare in Cyrus' direction when he tried to sit with Astoria, so the two of them stayed up. Then she murmured something in the ears of Daphne and she nodded. After this she pulled up the silk nightdress that Daphne used to sleep and showed her back to Cyrus and Astoria, that stopped looking at the back of her sister the next second she saw it, in disgust, nearly throwing up her dinner.

Daphne's back violet and yellow, with some cuts and looked utterly disgusting and painful. When she saw this, the lady of the house grew more terrifying than ever and the aura that she unleashed made everyone freeze in the room. She looked at Cyrus like she was going to erase him from the face of the earth in the seconds to come. Yet she did not do this, the first thing she did was to whisper something in Daphne's ear but loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Don't worry dear, Mama will heal you and nothing that hurt will stay past tonight. Do you trust me dear ?" As she said that, Daphne nodded instantly ready to put her life in the hands of her mother with her eyes closed without a doubt. "Good."

Then she bit at her daughter's neck and exhaled slowly. Daphne crinched a little bit, before she exhaled too in contentment and relief as her whole body began to warm itself and go numb. Slowly but surely, all pain in her body disappeared and she felt all her injuries slowly begin to fade away. She didn't know what her mother had done but it was a blessing.

"After a good night of sleep, you will as good as new dear" She affirmed to her calmed and nuzzled daughter. "As for you husband" He shivered in fear at the way she called him.

"I can explain, she was being…" He began only to be sent flying at the wall at the other end of the room and crushing in the wall with so much force that a loud crack was heard. He certainly had more than a few broken ribs and his right collarbone had simply exploded at the impact along with his right cheekbone.

"Don't you dare interrupting me husband, let alone to blame my sweet daughter with things that she most certainly didn't do" She warned him with no emotion as she looked at his broken form, whimpering on the floor and coughing blood. "Tell me Cyrus… Would you like me to do what you did to Daphne, to Astoria and Benedict" She asked him only to receive a death glare from her pathetic husband that did not succeed in threatening her.

"If you do this I will…" He once again tried to say something only to receive a bone breaker in the left shoulder that exploded under the impact.

"You will do nothing husband. I thought you had realised the power difference between us. Besides you see, you always try to remind me that I am a monster but of the two of us you are the only monster I see. Doing this to your own daughter, what a despicable little piece of shit you are. The difference between you and me is here Cyrus, when you have no remorse to torture your own daughter, I wouldn't dare to hurt my children like that. That is not because I feel nothing for them that I would use them as some sort of meat punching ball" She stated like it was the most normal thing in the world.

She looked at Astoria that looked relieved that her mother didn't plan to reproduce what her father did to her sister on her. However, at the same time, she was crying because she was facing the hard reality that her mother just admitted to feel nothing for her, like she was nothing of importance for her. Her mother admitted that she was her daughter but also that she wanted nothing to do with her because for her she was nothing important.

This made her cry and be jealous at Daphne for the exclusivity she had of their mother's love. But this feeling rapidly faded away as she remembered that she was the very opposite of Daphne, monopolising the love and attention of her father. Also, when her mother at least saw her as her daughter, she knew that her father often refused to call Daphne his daughter, but nothing more than the monstrous daughter of his monstrous wife. And this made her feel empathy for her older sister, that lived a life of reclusion and privation in their family, only living at the contact of her mother and sometimes a house elf that brought her this and that.

She admitted that her sister's life wasn't better than her's and that she had nothing to envy her sister for, but at the contrary, she thought that her sister had a very lonely and sad life. When she had friends and could bring them home anytime she wanted, or talk to her older brother and laugh and play with him or interact with her cousins, Daphne had nothing of that. She didn't remembered the last time her mother and her sister attended to the family gatherings on sundays, or the last time they went out of the house without father to do shopping or eat sweets or watch a quidditch game or anything at all.

Yes, her sister's life was not something she envied one bit and she was sad for her sister and she tried to think about something that the two of them could do together but once again, she couldn't remember knowing much of what her sister liked or did to pass her time. She noticed that she knew next to nothing of her sister and her mother and it pained her once again. But she couldn't continue to let her mind wander longer because her mother addressed her father once again.

"You need to be punished Cyrus… Crucio !" When she said that, the blonde man convulsed on the floor and began to scream so loud that she thought her eardrums were about to explode. His screams resonating in the wall and the whole castle could hear his agony.

"Please ! Mercy !" He screamed between two jolts of pain.

"You beg for mercy… But did you indulge to this plead when Daphne asked for it ? I don't think you did, didn't you ? Thus bear the pain in silence please… Crucio !" And once again his screams echoed in the castle under the terrified gaze of Astoria and the trembling gaze of Daphne. She made it last for ten long minutes before stopping, her husband having gone quiet after eight minutes, his vocal strings being used beyond their limits.

"Argh… Argh… Argh…" He rattled on the floor half-dead curled in a fetal position, his body unable to move because of the pain he felt. Even the movement of his clothes on his skin was a torture.

"Well well… It seems like you survived… You sure are strong… Otherwise you couldn't have been the only man to achieve the exploit of giving me three child, when all the others only failed to give me even one… I will call your sister to patch you up as I can't let you die… Not the day I just come back… It would be suspicious, wouldn't it ?" She smiled dangerously to her husband that couldn't really understand her, as his ears were dripping with blood because of the cruciatus curse, let alone respond to her. She produced a corporeal patronus with the form of a crane and told it to fetch Cyrus' sister with her medical material.

"Mama ? Is he alive ?" Asked Daphne after a minute, having recovered from the shock of the scene that had been played in front of her.

"Unfortunately he is, dear. But don't worry, he will never lay a finger on you. Mama learned her lesson too, she will never leave you here alone anymore." Assured her mother as she passed her long and manicured fingers in the silky ash blond hair of her daughter.

"I was so afraid Mama… But I feel safe with you… Mama ?... Can we go to sleep ?" Demanded the loved daughter of the vampire lady, that instantly nodded with a warm smile as she got up with Daphne and walked to go out of the living room. As they were about to leave the room, the older Greengrass daughter looked past her mother shoulder at Astoria, made a little smile and waved her little hand at the girl she knew was her little sister.

"Oh you are right Daphne, I almost forgot my manners" Exclaimed Lady Greengrass before turning to her younger with no emotion on her face. "Goodnight Astoria, don't go to bed too late. And you husband… I bid you a goodnight too… Maybe you will find somewhere that doesn't hurt on your body too much to let you sleep on it" She joked with no humor in here voice as she spat her words.

Like that they headed to Daphne's room in a comforting peace between the two very close mother and daughter. Anastassia was humming a little melody that her own mother used to play to her in her youth. Daphne was lost in her memories as she tried to remember the last time she talked to her sister or even the last time she had seen her before tonight, and she couldn't remember. She only remembered that the little girl was named Astoria, that she was her little sister of three years and that was pretty much all she knew about her.

This confused her a lot and made her a little bit sad that she didn't know her sister or that she never saw or talked to her in the past. She didn't know why her father hated her nor why he hated her mother, his wife. She didn't know why she was always alone with only her mother's company. She didn't know why she couldn't live with her siblings. She was not complaining about her life, far from it, she was happy as things were, but some things confused her.

When they arrived in her room, the lady closed the door and went into the giant bed with her daughter, after one swift of her wand, her clothes disappeared and were replaced by a silky nightgown. She then hugged her daughter more fiercely that ever and stroke her hair gently and with some sort of adoration in it.

"Mama… Why is it that it is always just the two of us ?" Inquired Daphne as she relaxed in the familiar and comforting scent and warmness of her mother.

"Because you are my daughter… And your father and me don't like each other at all…" Explained the lady.

"But isn't Astoria your daughter too ? Isn't she my sister ?" Pressed Daphne.

"It is different dear… I prefer you above your siblings… It seems strange or unfair like that… But you are different, you are like me… Astoria may be my daughter by nature but you… You are my only true daughter dear" Continued the blonde vampire.

"What does it mean Mama ?"

"We are nothing alike your father or siblings or the Greengrass… Do you know what we are dear ?" Asked lovingly her mother.

"Witches Mama ?" Proposed the daughter.

"Wrong dear… I will tell you one thing that must stay between us and never go past those walls… Do you promise to keep this promise to you ?"

"I promise Mama"

"I am a vampire Daphne… I am one hundred and eighty one years, not forty one years old… And do you know why I love you so much and why you are different" She revealed as her daughter's eyes grew wide as she looked at her mother astonished.

"Because I am one too ? Is it true Mama ? Are we dark creatures like father is always saying we are ?" Inquired the little girl.

"Yes you are a vampires dear, but whether vampire are dark creatures or not depend on the point of view. However you are way more special than just being a vampire. In my long life, I've had six husband and none of them managed to give me a single child. When I thought that I would have the pleasure to have a child when your father impregnated me I was so glad and excited. Yet it only resulted in sheer disappointment and indifference. I don't dislike your siblings Daphne, but I can't seem to be able to relate to them… They are fully human and nothing alike me… But when I was pregnant of you everything changed in my life… Me that wanted to have a child like me for so long as my only goal, I finally felt it… You were a vampire I was sure of it. I never had to feed myself this much blood in my whole life than when I was waiting to give you birth… And when you came into this world I was over the moon, you were exactly like I had imagined you, you felt like me… And i knew that you were my child, my only true child… A child of a vampire and a human is either a human or a vampire, it can't be the two at the same time and finally I had a child like me… That is why I love you so much and why you are so precious to me… Even before you were born, you made me so proud, happy, fulfilled and excited… You are my little angel dear" She explained with tears in her eyes as she told her precious daughter her quest of having a child like her.

"I understand Mama, I love you too, more than anything in the world. I still have one question Mama… Why didn't you marry another vampire to have a child ? Wouldn't have it been easier for you to have a vampire child like that ?" Inquired the dark orange eyed young vampire.

"Yes it would have been easier. But vampires are a nearly extinct race, we are only a little more than one thousand in the whole world and most of them already are, like me, in the second phase of their life. When I was a young and proud vampire, I thought that no one else than a pure aristocratic and rich vampire deserved me, because even among the vampires, I was the most beautiful and nearly the most powerful. But with the years that passed and my quest being halted by many impromptus, I had to revise my ambitions and my expectations. I first married a little unknown and not so rich vampire that never managed to give me a child because he was too weak and suffered from the effects of the Feveret Sanguis. When he died, I tried to search another husband and I did after twenty more years but the same scenario repeated itself. So I had to lower even more my standards and I searched for powerful wizards but none of my five husband managed to achieve the exploit of giving me a child. Then arrived your father, proud and powerful with a very pure ascendance with all his bigoted and racist ideals. He courted me for three years before I accepted to marry him and then he managed to give me a child. I nearly fell in love with him at this moment but only to despise him even more than the last ones because I felt like he had fooled me in giving me a wizard to carry in my womb other than a vampire. And then you came and I couldn't care less about anything else in life other than you. I was so over the moon to have you that I complied to Cyrus' wish to have a last one." Once again she detailed her story for her daughter to understand the situation their race was in.

"Wow… Your life is really sad Mama… I hope that one day I will find someone I love and that could give me a baby too… But one day our race will disappear Mama ?" Yawned the the ash blonde girl.

"Yes we will sweetheart, but fate sometimes is not kind to certain people… This is how the world works… Now goodnight dear, I will stay here with you so you don't be afraid of anything." Whispered the mother as she heard her daughter drift into a peaceful sleep. "The day of your awakening in coming quickly I feel it, be brave my dear as it will be the first and most important fight of your life. You will have to overcome the curse that is the Feveret Sanguis."

Just like that, the two of them drifted into the world of dream, where everything could be perfect and everything was possible, a world where reality couldn't hurt them. With this little premonition of Anastassia that would be proved to be true this day marked the end of Daphne's suffering from the hand of her father for many years to pass.

* * *

_Present time - Daphne's bedroom_

* * *

There she was, lying on her bed after thirty minutes of suffering together with her friend and ten other minutes repairing their friendship stronger than ever. Despite the pain she still felt all over her body, she couldn't help but smile at the idea that she and her only friend were talking to each other once again.

She didn't know what triggered the change in her friends attitude as she never mentioned it, but she was glad not to be ignored anymore as it hurted her more than she cared to admit. For the last two week, she had been very silent and she did not contact her anymore because she was busy combing her wounds on her body with the help of her mother and also because she had been beginning to learn the history of the vampire and her vampire family from her mother.

That had been two very charged and intense week that passed in a flash and of which she only had good memories. She was all over the moon that her mother was back because now she once again had her mama to pass the time, and enjoy her life far from every problems. As she was remembering fondly of those past two weeks she heard a little knock on her door that made her eyebrows rise as it didn't felt like the knocking of her mother nor those of the elves, nor this of her father. It was a completely new sound and it afraid her a little bit, reaching for the bell that her mother had left on her bedside that she could use whenever she wanted to, to call her mother in case of emergency.

"Yes ?!" She said warily, her hand already on the bell in case something went wrong. However she didn't move anymore as she saw that it was her sister at her door, looking all shy and uneased.

"Sorry to bother you big sister but I heard you scream for some time before you stopped ten minutes ago and I wanted to be sure that father didn't do anything once again as Mother is not home tonight" Simply said the little golden blonde haired girl with her head low, looking at the ground, intimidated to be in a room she never went in with someone she barely knew.

"I… It… It's no big deal. Everything is fine now, father didn't do anything this time, sorry to have woken you up because of the sound. I'm fine now… Thank you to have come to check on me… Goodnight little sister… Astoria" Responded an equally uneased and confused Daphne that was too surprised, by the sudden appearance of the girl that was her sister.

"Ok… Well goodnight… Big sister Daphne" She said bowing even lower before closing the door and going back to her own bedroom three halls farther in the castle.

She was happy that her sister seemed to be alright and moreover, she was happy to have talked for the first time she could remember to her older sister. Even if it was an awkward, strange and awfully quick talk, she had made it, she had gathered enough courage and strength to come and talk to her sister. For the past two weeks, she couldn't get out of her head the fact that she wanted to know her sister, to feel like they were truly related, that they were true sisters.

She knew fully well that they could not become this before a long time, maybe decades, but she couldn't bear the thought of continuing living like that, like her sister didn't existed and was never to be mentioned like she was not family but an evil creature. From what she saw from afar and the very few time she saw her sister, she didn't seemed like the monster her father depicted and it only grew the feeling inside of her that her sister was being taken from her.

She had decided that if she was to hate and ban her sister from her existence, it would be because she decided to do so after having some experiences with her sister to make her own judgement. She may be five, nearly six, years old, but she was pretty intelligent and free minded. She always tried to see the best in every one and wanted to befriend anyone that seemed somewhat sympathetic.

She was sure of it, her sister was a good person that was being ostracized by her father, her family and everyone that knew the real Greengrass family because if whatever their mother did. She wanted to know her sister and have her like a true sister in her life, a big sister like in those kid books she read where the older sister always took care of her siblings when the parents were away. The older sister that was always kind, intelligent, charming, beautiful and loving to her siblings and that only wanted their good.

She was sure Daphne could be the type of sister with which she could spend her whole holidays with alone and enjoy them. However, for that to be one day possible, she knew that because of her father, she had to be the one to initiate those meetings and those conversations.

On her side, Daphne was very confused and thought the same things as Astoria but with a different point of view. Astoria may be a human and her a vampire, she was sure that despite what her mother said, she could one day love her and feel related to the girl that was her sister. She thought that she would try, the next time she saw her, to make the conversation last longer and try to know her a bit more.

With this thoughts filling the mind of both sisters that were trying to find a way to break the ice wall that was separating them and get to know each other to one day have a sisterly relationship, they both fall asleep and drifted to the dream land. At the same time a raven haired girl in a warmer, better decorated, French renaissance era style castle, was too thinking about her bonded friend while falling asleep.

* * *

_Four months later - 31st July 1989 - Greengrass Castle_

* * *

"_Wakey, wakey sleepy head !"_ Shouted the crystal yet shrieked voice of Lyria's mind friend, inside of her head. Lyria opened her eyes with exhaustion and exasperation at her friend. It was some sort of ritual that she made a pleasure to execute each year at the birthday of Lyria.

"_Tired… Let me sleep you evil witch"_ Thought Lyria before trying to go back to sleep but it seemed like her friend had other ideas about how things would turn out.

"_Wake up ! Lalalala ! Wake up ! If you don't wake up I will sing all morning to make you get up"_ Threatened her friend that was very excited and happy about the current situation.

"_I warn you for the last time… If you don't let me sleep one more hour I will make you pay triple the price tomorrow… Now do as you wish but don't tell me I didn't warn you"_ Countered Lyria with her own threat that made her friend gulp in apprehension, knowing that when Lyria was serious about something, she was going to do everything to make this something happen as she imagined it.

"_O-Okay… But one hour ! No more minutes after that"_ Mumbled her friend a little bit dejected by Lyria's threat and way more excited at the idea of annoying her friend all morning long.

"_Hmmm…"_ It was the only response Daphne got from Lyria and it came as an groan.

"_My, my your such a princess with your sleep… Well I'll be back in one hour straight"_ Sighed the ash blonde haired girl in her own room as she stared at her blank ceiling, only composed of stone and wood log to support the weight of the upper floors.

After ten of waiting for her friend to wake up for good, she grew bored and decided to call for an house elf of the house to bring her a good breakfast along with her painting material. It has been two years now, since she had started to take painting lessons from her mother and she loved painting. It was a relaxing and it helped her let go of her boredom and express her imagination and feelings on the canvas.

So far, Daphne had only painted less than a hundred paintings and all represented various objects that could be found in her room along with some tries at making her self portrait. She thought that she was not very good at the third art even though her mother assured her otherwise. What really attracted her with paintings at the very beginning was the fact that it helped her remember things that she saw with a very good precision and details, even if she didn't remember when and where she saw this object or another.

When her house elf then arrived with all of her paint equipment along a healthy breakfast, she got out of her bed and went to her big wooden desk at the other end of the bedroom and took place there to enjoy the food. She took her time eating, humming happily a melody her mother used to sing to her when she was a little girl, even she was still a little girl. She was swinging on the back feet of the plush and expensive chair she was sitting on, lost in her thoughts, munching her food absentmindedly.

She remembered of a night a month ago when Lyria was humming a little lullaby while she was taking care of the many plants that were on her balcony. The lullaby was really beautiful and relaxing, and it seemed like Lyria was humming it a lot recently leading her to ask her friend where she had heard it as she wanted her to learn it. The Potter heiress simply responded to the question that she didn't know where she had heard this melody before, but that each time she sang it, she felt joyous and it made her relax, like it reminded her of parents or something like that.

This night, Lyria had also asked her something really strange that made her a little bit uncomfortable. She wanted to know what it felt to have parents, what it felt to have siblings, what it felt to have someone that cared for you. This night, Daphne stayed dead silent, unable to find the good words to describe the feeling to her friend. She felt really bad for her friend that so far only lived the worst life she could imagine, she was orphan, she ended up at her uncle's house only to be treated like a slave and tortured like one, she nearly died and still kept sequels on her body because of this horrible experience and now, she was alone in a new home unable to feel or understand most of the good things of life.

Even now after a month, Daphne didn't found an answer to her friend's question. How could she describe something so simple yet so deep and complex such as love and family to someone that never knew anything other than hatred, pain, agony, fear and slavery. Never in her life anyone told her that they loved her, that they cared for her, that she meant something important to them as a person and not as tool, that she was a conscient living being with feelings and a heart like everyone else.

That was why Daphne was so adamant to help her friend in every way possible by cheering her up, discussing with her whenever she could, entertaining he with stories and just giving her some of her time, attention and knowledge when she could. She was impressed by the sheer strength of Lyria's will, she never gave up, never tried to end her life like nearly everyone would have at her place, she never complained about her situation at the Dursley's house. No. Instead she endured, she shut her mouth, enjailed her emotions and her feelings to survive, she never surrendered. Until she was finally free from them.

When Lyria had killed Vernon and arrived at her new home, she let everything that she had kept to herself go out and she gratefully and contently accepted death with her arms wide open, glad that it was the end. Had she not convinced her otherwise, she would be dead at this moment and glad to be. But now her friend seemed to have found some interest in her life, literally living to take care of her numerous garden, she heard from her that she had eight of them now, take care of her newly acquired dogs, her birds, fishes, deers and silk worm.

She was glad that her friend had found things that gave a sense to her cursed life and she was happy to be able to call herself her friend. She found her so strong, brave, pure and carefree, and she thought it was very beautiful to have such a personality when everyone would only be bitter and heinous, however, it also afraid her a little. How could she stay so calm and unresponsive to everything that happened to her and talk about it like it was nothing, like it was the most normal thing in the world what she had to suffer, she felt that deep down her friend had been broken so badly that she couldn't even differentiate what was good from what was bad.

Her friend even made he mad at her once two months ago when she told her about the time she got beaten in a deserted alley by her cousin that it hurted a lot. She had told this story with a monotone tone and with nothing in her voice only stating facts and telling a story. When Daphne told her to stop the act and stop being so cold hearted when she told her this story, the black haired girl got confused and asked her what she meant by that. The blonde vampire told her that she couldn't stay this passive and emotionless when she was telling such an awful and painful memory. Lyria only responded that it was normal for things like that to happen to her and that she didn't saw where the problem was with what happened to her when she was at her uncle's house.

However what got her even madder was the exemple she used to make her point to Daphne. She told her : "_Your father used to beat you too when your mother was away. You see, it is normal everywhere for men to beat a girl. There is nothing different with my uncle and cousin's behaviour, isn't it ?"_ This was the cherry on the cake. She shouted mentally at her friend for telling her this to make her point like it was normal, she shouted that she had to understand that nothing that happened to her with her father was normal far from it and that what happened to Lyria with her relatives wasn't too.

This argument lasted for two hours before Lyria understood that what she said was improper, still not fully understanding what was wrong with happened to them but she accepted that in some way it was not normal. Daphne didn't know why she remembered this day now on her friend's birthday, but even now, it made her sad that her friend wasn't able to make the difference between obviously bad things and good things.

She sighed and got up from her chair, went to her window, opened it and went to her canvas, brushes and paint pots on her balcony to start painting with some fresh and warm summer hair blowing slowly and gently at her hair. She took her magical radio and put it on, searching for some classical relaxing wizard music, when she found the channel she wanted, she smiled and began to paint.

* * *

_One hour later - Potter Castle_

* * *

Lyria awoke once again at the sound of her friend calling for. This time she just sighed, rubbed her eyes, took two brands of her hair out of her face before looking at the clock on her bedside : 09h59. She smiled as she saw this, he friend really was someone that knew how to keep on track with a schedule and with the time. She got up from her bed and went to her bathroom, took a quick shower ignoring the rambling of her friend that was, for the hundredth time, giving her a lesson on how the future belong to those that rose early, something that she admittedly didn't care about and her friend knew it too.

After she finished to shower, she decided to find something to put on herself. In the nine months she live in her ancestors home, she had long ago sent Fily and Pixi to fetch her some magazines in which she could choose clothes, that for the first in her life would be for her gender and that would fit her. She didn't bought this many as she knew that they would be useless the day she was to big to fit in them as she had no one to give them to.

She looked into her very organised wardrobe and took a beautiful white, in acromantula silk sundress with golden flower pattern at the end of the dress. It was a very cute dress she thought, with not too brightful color and it was white so she wouldn't die from the incredible heat of the summer. She choose a pair of sandals with a little heel, a big white hat with two yellow ribbon to attach her hair in low twintails, and a pair of silk white gloves to cover her fragile and scarred fingers from the sun rays.

After that she went to downstairs to the kitchen of the castle and asked Pixi to bring her a breakfast, along with bird food, outside at the third garden because she wanted to take care of her numerous birds. Once outside, she cringed a little as the sun hit her milky white skin but soon the feeling disappeared and only a warm feeling remained.

"_Stop ignoring me at once ! It's been twenty minutes since I woke you up and you continue to ignore me ! That's mean of you !"_ Shouted Daphne in her head.

"_Sorry cutie but listening to your ramblings about the future belonging to those that rise early kind of let me indifferent and you know it"_ Countered Lyria with a cheerful voice as she took an umbrella and a shawl after some reflection, not wanting her skin to bear the mark of the sun. "_I nearly forgot my umbrella and my shawl, I would have died under this sun without it"_

"_Why are even taking those things ? Don't tell me that you believe the muggle rumors that say vampire cannot bear the sunlight or that they have no reflection in a mirror !"_ Laughed Daphne at her friends ignorance before she stopped as she heard her friend 'hmpf' her.

"_You are the mean one, making fun of me all the time !"_ Said the black haired girl as she pouted, even if she knew that her friend couldn't see her doing this, she knew that somehow she always managed to know when she was doing it.

"_Don't be so susceptible my friend. After all, I am here to make some important notions enter your little head, otherwise it would stay empty forever."_ Joked the orange eyed girl as she continue her painting of an english cup of tea that was in front of her. She was struggling with the shadow and frowned her eyebrows in concentration.

"_You will have wrinkles early if you frown like that all the time. At least that is what my aunt told my uncle all the time when he frowned"_ Told her Lyria while she tried to imagine how wrinkles could appear if you frowned.

"_Are you really trying to understand how wrinkles appear ?"_ Deadpanned Daphne at her friend's reflection unable to understand what could be interesting to understand in the process of wrinkles' apparition.

"_Well… Maybe you are right. It's not very interesting but it intrigues me. Well nevermind… What are you doing ?"_ Inquired Lyria as she entered her aviary and was greeted by many of her birds when they saw her and the food she was coming with.

"_I'm actually struggling to paint a stupid tea pot and it unnerves me not to be able to get it right on the canvas"_ She sighed in exasperation looking disappointed at her piece of art that, for anyone not as perfectionist as Daphne, looked amazing.

"_Well knowing you it is surely beautiful but you are not satisfied with the results like approximately ninety-nine percent of your paintings."_ Pointed the last Potter as she petted her birds and relaxed at their singing.

She really liked her birds, they always found the right melody to make her smile and always were so warm to her. It was strange to her at first because she didn't understand the feelings inside of her, but with the explanations of her friend about the multiple feelings, she could determine them with a little bit more clarity.

"_No it is really awful I swear ! If I could show you, you would see it yourself and judge it !"_ Vehemently argued the dark orange eyed girl as she was juggling with a very thin brush another, thicker, was delicately, but still unlady like, placed on her left ear.

"_Yeah yeah as you say it is so awful that I fear for your sight to waste away… I recommend you to throw it in the bin"_ Complied Lyria exasperate at her friends antic.

She stopped to listen at her friend's dissatisfied mumbles at her 'awful and disastrous' work as she said, and began to go away from her aviary to go and take care of her lovely dogs and eat a little breakfast, that Pixi had placed in the rotunda. She arrived there and ate peacefully, scratching gently the head of her two doberman, that were snoring at her side on the couch she had make Pixi instal three months before.

"_AH !"_ Shouted suddenly Daphne in her head completely breaking the peaceful moment that Lyria was enjoying and even stressed the black haired girl to death with her high pitched shout.

"_Why did you shout like that ! I nearly had and heart attack !" She said unerved at the other little vampire. "Cut the link between us if you want to shout in your head like a mad witch !"_

"_But… I just remembered something very important and I feel bad for having nearly forgotten… Happy birthday my friend… Nine years old, still not two numbers, feels bad"_ The blonde haired girl wished Lyria almost apologetically.

"_Oh … Thanks… I had forgotten too… I found it strange that you were waking me up this morning with no reason but I dropped the subject too fast I suppose… Well thank you it's sweet of you… You are the only one to wish it to me each year… I'm grateful"_ Lyria said with a small smile on her lips, feeling a strange feeling of warmness inside her torso at her friend's gentle attitude and action.

"_How could I forget the birthday of my best and only friend ? I would never forget for anything in the world !"_ Assured Daphne as she took her eyes of her canvas and looked at the horizon a big smile on her face.

"_Hey but I remember you made a joke because I still didn't have two numbers with my age but in case you don't know, I am older than you !"_ Replied Lyria to the little dig.

"_Well maybe but as they proverb says : 'Age before beauty', so if it please you to know that you represent age and me beauty then it's fine by me"_ Added the Greengrass girl sticking her tongue out even if Lyria couldn't see it.

"_Ah ah ah… Very funny little girl… You want to play at this game uh ? 'Wisdom is mother of safety' while 'Idleness is mother of danger' !"_ Countered Lyria also sticking her tongue out, behaving as much as Daphne like the child they were, despite all the trials they suffered through.

"_Are you sure you didn't make up the second one ? I know the first proverb for sure but the second one seems like you just created it to continue a game you can't win."_ She joked as Lyria pouted because her friend didn't fall in her trap.

"_Why am I playing with you ? You are no fun ! You could have pretended that it existed to give me a chance to continue !"_ Falsely cried the Potter girl as her friend began to laugh at her antics.

"_Well what do you want, I just like to win a contest that's all even if it means you have to lose"_ Answered between her laugh Daphne. When she stopped laughing, she said : "_You know, I really hope that the day we finally meet will come soon, I can't wait to see you and talk to you for real… You are the only one apart my mother to care for me and that talk to me… You are my only friend and I can't express you how I am happy to have you in my life."_

"_Why are you saying this to me all of a sudden ? Everything is fine for you now right ? Your father or someone else isn't doing anything to you ?"_ Inquired Lyria a little bit worried for her.

"_No, no ! Everything is fine I swear ! It's just… I wanted you to know how important you were to me and how much I care for you… And something is on mind for some time now but don't know if it is right to ask this of you"_ She sighed as she sat down on her bed looking at her blank and cold wall.

"_What is it ? Ask me it could never hurt, it is just a question… Go on spill it"_ Encouraged her the black haired vampire.

"_You are a vampire and you live in England… Also you are magical because you are a vampire… So I wondered if… If you know… If you were going to Hogwarts in a year ?"_ Expectantly and timidly asked Daphne, a little nervous to hear the answer of friend.

Daphne knew that her friend enjoyed very much her lonely life of seclusion and peace in her new home and that she prefered the company of her plants and animals to this of the other human beings. However for the last four months, she had dreamed over and over of her first encounter with her friend and how she imagined her to be like physically.

Did they looked alike because they both were vampires ? Was she taller than her ? What were her facial features ? Was she fit or was she fat ? Was she dark haired or blond haired or red haired ? What was the color of her eyes ? Her skin ?

She had so much question in her head and yet, because of a unknown force, she couldn't ask her all those questions, like she couldn't ask her name, or tell her friend the answers to those questions about herself. Everything was so strange and mysterious with this link between them, with this friendship. Yet she felt like she was closer to her friend than we anyone else apart her mother, but even there, the feeling that her friendship provided her was so much different from her mother's love that she couldn't compare them.

Her thoughts were put to an end when she heard once again the voice of her friend inside of her head, low and unsure like she was herself wondering what she wanted to do in the future as she knew that even if she stayed in seclusion for her whole life, she would have regrets despite her angst and worries about the exterior world.

"_I don't know yet… A part of me wants nothing more than to stay here forever and grow old and lonely awaiting peacefully a calm and simple death among my flowers and animals… But another part of me wants to discover the world, learn a lot of interesting and useful things, encounter you, enjoy my life with many more things, discovering new plants and animals to add to my gardens and grounds… Honestly I can't tell you which part of me has the more weight at the moment… I will think about it for the year to come and I will give you an answer the day I am sure of what I want… Is it agreeable to you ?"_ Explained Lyria before she asked her friend if her answer satisfied her despite the fact that she didn't really responded to the question by a yes or no.

"_I should have known you would have said that… I know that you are conflicted at the moment and honestly I can't blame you… I just hope that next year, we will see each other at Hogwarts if you decide to go there… Either way I will always be in your head and you in mine so it doesn't change anything between us right ?"_ Inquired Daphne thoughtfully.

"_No it doesn't change anything… You are the only person I care for… If not for you I would have gave up on life… But you always stick by my side so even if I chose not to go to Hogwarts next year, I will always talk to you and enjoy our discussions, our laugh and you would only have way more thing to tell me about each day to entertain me"_ Assured Lyria with fervour making her friend happier, knowing that she would never lose this strange yet perfect friendship.

"_It makes me happy to know that no matter what we will stay by each other's side… Oh ! It seems like my mother is calling for me… I have to go but don't worry, I'll be back this afternoon to talk with you so you don't spend your birthday alone !"_ Said cheerfully Daphne before she ended the link between them, letting Lyria with silence in her head as she opened her eyes for the first time in two hours.

Lyria looked at her watch and saw that it was already one in the afternoon and that she was hungry. Talking with her friend always kept her in some sort of stasis where she was just filled with happiness and contentment, a feeling she rarely experienced even when she took care of her dear animals and plants.

She got up, waking her baby dogs up and headed for the house, flanked by her two companions. They barked happily and runned around her excited that their mistress was finally awake to take care of them and maybe play with them later. When she entered her house however, she felt a pulse inside her body, something, she learned by Pixi not long after she began to live here, meant that someone had entered her house. As she only had reintroduced a single person aside her in the wards, she knew who it was even if didn't understood or mastered the magic behind the wards.

She knew nothing in term of doing magic or understanding the theory behind the spell because she had never read anything about them, had never had a lesson about them and never practiced any spells because she didn't possess a wand. However Pixi had explained her everything she needed to know about the ward around her house to know when someone entered the grounds and to add or remove someone from them.

She walked to her reception room to greet the Headmaster of Hogwarts. It was the fourth time now that he had visited her since the day they had talked about his implication in Lyria's life and the Potter's family life in general. She pushed the big eben door open and entered the room only to see Dumbledore waiting by the cheminee, talking casually to Fily like they were old friends. "_Maybe they were old friends"_ She thought as she remembered that the Headmaster knew them for a very long time compared to her.

"Hello Headmaster Dumbledore, I am glad to see you here but why are you here ?" Asked genuinely interested Lyria to the old man.

"Well if I am not mistaken we are the 31st of July 1989 so it means that a certain Lyria Potter turns nine years old today and I wanted to give her three gifts" Said playfully the Headmaster, with a smile on his face.

"Oh yes. You are right this is my birthday. Thank you to wish me a happy birthday but it wasn't necessary to offer me gifts, I probably don't need them. I could have buy them myself if I needed anything." She deadpanned, not understanding the concept of receiving a gift when didn't ask for anything and when you could buy pretty much everything you wanted whenever you wanted.

"Well the principle of a birthday is that you receive the kind gestures and wishes of those that care for you and most usually they give you gift too. And one of the gift I am about to give you rightfully belongs to you so it is only natural that I give it back to you." Explained the old and powerful wizard.

"Oh… And what is it ?" She asked her interest being captured by the Headmaster that gave her one of the gift. She took it carefully and opened the little paper that kept it packed until now, only to reveal what seemed to be a cloak or something like that.

"It belonged to your father and to his father before him and it is in your family for a very long time. If I remember well, your great grandfather told me that his ancestor acquired it by dueling against a wizard from an old and powerful family. It is an invisibility cloak Lyria, it is something very rare and precious so I must warn you not to show it to everyone and to use it with caution." Said Albus before he gave her another gift that was warped in a red paper this time and had the shape of a box.

"What is it ?" Asked Lyria when she opened it only to find a little white box, that was carved and sculpted richly with a lot of gold on it.

"It contains the seal and the rin of the Potter family and as the head of the Potter family, it is normal that you have it. However, as you are not of age, you still can't access your family vaults or your wizengamot seat. You can only use for now your trust vault that your parents left you with the key that I put in the box." Replied simply the Headmaster, explaining her the rules of the magical society and the accords they had with the goblin nation.

"And what is the last gift you talked about ?" She wanted to know now what could possibly be the last gift the old Headmaster had for her. She must admit that so far she was pretty happy that the old wizard came with the gifts and not just to wish her a happy birthday.

"Well it is something that I think will look good among your impressive collection of well taken care of flowers." He chuckled as he asked her to go to the window.

When she was in front of it, she could see her first garden that was a wonderful and colorful parterre that represented complexe geometric forms. Then Albus Dumbledore took his wand out and waved it in a complicated pattern before swifting it in the air. As he did that, a beautiful cherry blossom tree grew in the middle of the little water pond that was in front of the double door of her house. It was now perfectly aligned with the entry of her grounds, the main bridge, the first garden and the second bridge that led to her house. It was like a different and way smaller version of the alignment of the Louvre Museum, the Obelisk, the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysées.

"Thank you Headmaster, it is really beautiful, I will take care of it as well as I take care of my flowers, I can assure you that." She said her eyes bright with amazements and gratefulness.

"It's nothing Lyria, you deserve the presents I had to offer you. Now why don't we sit down and talk a little bit of what you have done since the last time I came here and then you could ask me every questions you might have on the magical world" Proposed the Headmaster as Lyria nodded in acquiescement.

It had been some sort of a ritual for the past four months now, Lyria would tell the Headmaster what happened to her in the past few weeks, what she had done, what she had struggled to do, what she had enjoyed and what she had disliked or failed to accomplish. Then she would ask the Headmaster everything that came to her mind and he would try to respond to her with the most precision and pedagogy for her to understand.

Their relation was still tense on certain points and subjects but overall, everything seemed to tend to a better relationship and a mutual understanding and acknowledgement of each other's flaws and qualities. They were like a mentor and his student but with a more carefree relationship, like a grandfather and his granddaughter of some sort.

So far, everything seemed to be peaceful and good, Lyria was beginning to be interested in magic and the magical world and she tended to be more and more agreeable to the idea of going to Hogwarts next year even if she still had doubts and fears. The old Headmaster knew this and also knew that it was not his decision to make and that he had no right to interfere in her decision like he had done in the past with her life causing only harm and danger to her.

No one other than Lyria herself could tell what she was going to do next year, but the more time that passed, the better the chances were of her walking past the mighty and milennar gate of the wizarding school that was Hogwarts.


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's note :**

Hello everyone,

I know it has been a long time since I uploaded my last chapter and I apologise for the long wait. I was in holidays at my grandmother's house in Swizterland (and to be honest, lost in the Alpes, connection is not really good) so I couldn't have acces to FF and uploaded this chapter.

But here it is and hopefully you will like it. It is a bit longer than the last ones that were 13K (this one is above 15K) so I hope it will satisfy you and I'd like to thank you ofr all the support I've received this far. More than 1K views is amazing and 30+ followers is really motivating me.

I don't intend to let this stroy down anytime soon if any of you wondered because ofthe long wait. It is just that sometimes the updates will be irregular because I'm entering a good engineering school in civil engineering so I will have a respecatble but still present workload on my shoulders.

Well less talking and more reading, I bid you a good day and I hope you will like this new chapter.

If you have the time and the desire to leave a little review, feel free to do so, I try to check once a day the my author page to keep up with you guys if you want to communicate your impressions and ideas.

* * *

Chapter 4 : Decision, Explosion and Explication

* * *

_1990, 30 of July - Potter Castle_

* * *

This past year had been a hectic one for Lyria as she had made many changes in her residence and on her grounds. During last winter, Lyria grew more and more depressed as the days went by for a reason she did not know, she was feeling hungry all the time, her body was growing weaker and weaker each day that passed and her health was everything but right. She had alternated between phases of great happiness and profound despair, between good health and terrible illness that let her a mess for weeks in her bed before she could get up and go back to her everyday life. But she endured the emptiness she felt growing inside her and eating her slowly and painfully, trying to distract her mind to the fullest with many many things like for example experimenting and growing magical plants in the seventh garden that was until then just a simple and not so beautiful parterre with no real purpose. She so, chopped it and began her mighty task of growing and analysing all the plants she had and the new ones she added during the year, that existed either in the magical or muggle world, with the help of some books that the Headmaster offered to her.

She had so far an honorable little collection of fifty plants from the devil snare to the strangler shadow flower to some exotic flowers that held many uses in poisons and perfumes. Poisons and perfumes, were a new passion of hers, she found them at the same time terrifying, atrocious and inhuman yet a very interesting, discrete, powerful and deterrent weapon. In all the history books that she had read so far that talked about muggle history, she found that poisons and perfumes were used very often during the medieval and renaissance era to kill or incapacitate those that were a threat to someone important. She found it mesmerising to see all the uses of such decoctions, one could numb the pain of someone, another could make one fall asleep, others could increase the lust of someone and others could paralyze, asphyxiate, make blind, deaf, mad or simply kill.

While perfumes were used on wider zones and on a large group of people, it was more obviously spotted and could be countered easily if someone was well versed in the art when poisons were more discrete, difficult to counter and quicker to take effect. If someone was to know that she studied these controversial weapons, one would think that she was preparing herself to be ready to kill those that failed or wronged her. But in truth, she only studied them because she found this to be insanely interesting and were touching subjects that always interested her back in elementary school such as biology, botany and the one time she had a chemistry class when a teacher from junior school came to make a demonstration for some school events. She found the subject very cool and immersive as she liked cooking very much and was very good at it after doing the cooking for the last four years at the Dursley's home, and chemistry was like cooking but with different ingredients and purposes.

Lyria had thus acquired a small yet furnished collection of chemistry, botany and biology books aside from her magical ones on the subjects called herbology and potion making. She had plunge herself in this passion and found an even strong love and interest in the thousands of plants and flower inside her garden but also a new passion for the many snakes, lizards, insects and spiders that lived among them. The natural and physical properties of those animals made them very important in the process of making perfumes and potions even if it was for the advanced one. She still was learning how to master the beginner level of their making but it did not deter her in the slightest as she knew that nothing in life came by just clapping your fingers or wishing something to be reality, only hardworking, discipline, passion and thousands hours of practice and learning could lead her to her goals. And to be able to manipulate the mind and body of others to cure them or harm them was a very enticing and accomplishing goal in her opinion, because to control others meant that she could control her life as well.

This new hobby of hers had occupied most of her time but not quite all of it as she still had some time to invest in another passion that she discovered during her childhood when her uncle offered a piano to Dudley, that was broken two after, but the music it produced gave her many emotions and sensations that she ever experienced before. This then led her to buy one of her own, one for practice and beginners to begin with as she was not sure that she would enjoy playing it as much as listening to someone else playing it. Her doubts vanished quickly as she found herself enjoying a lot playing music with the instruments and she immersed herself in learning the basics to hopefully one day be able to play harder and more beautiful classical music sheets. To be able to do whatever she wanted and experiment with many things in life made her more happy and alive than ever before and she was glad to have been freed from the claws of her relatives.

Speaking about the old whale, Lyria never failed to remember fondly of the way she ended her worst nightmare's life even if it disgusted and horrified her to have such thoughts about her, ending the life of someone, as evil as he was, and taking great pleasure in it. She also wondered how her cousin was coping with the situation for the past year and a half as sh knew that never in dreams he could survive alone, not that she cared one bit about his situation but because knowing that his little kingdom was now a far and forgotten memory made her joyous. In a way she knew that they were right, she was a freak, she enjoyed killing her uncle and she found great pleasure in knowing that her cousin was surely suffering alone in an orphanage, but she reassured herself in thinking that it was their fault, they were the ones that made her into this freakish and cold hearted girl.

However something deeper inside her made her feel even more happy about this memory of killing her uncle and she didn't know what it was for sure, but an idea had wormed into her mind. Each time she thought about this night, she could remember perfectly all the pain that she suffered in every pieces of her body yet one thing was way real than the others. She remembered with a frightening realism and accuracy the sweet and warm taste of the blood while escaped the body of her uncle to enter hers, she remember this feeling of power that flowed through her entire being, she remembered how much more alive, she had felt, than ever before. All the nights she reviewed this memory, she was left in the morning with a burning hunger way more powerful and sickly than normally and she had crazy thoughts all the day about how the blood of her dogs or birds or house elves would taste in her mouth. She felt growing along the constant emptiness inside her, an insatiable hunger than only intensified days after days.

It frightened her so much, so much so that she had not muster the courage to talk about it with the Headmaster, let alone talking about it with her friend not wanting her to see her like a monster. One could think that she would have been the first person she have talked about this problem to, but in fact it was the opposite. She dreaded such a conversation with her friend so much that she had managed to keep those dark thoughts away from the reach of her friend. What afraid her was that her friend was a vampire too and yet, she felt nothing of this sickness and hunger or depression that was eating her like a worm inside of her body, making her think that she was a monster because even someone like her didn't felt this sickly need to taste the blood of everything that moved next to her. Because of that, she stayed quite about her problem and bottle up her emotions all the year.

Moreover, during the year, Lyria also had a monthly visitor compared to last year, as the old Headmaster Dumbledore introduced her to a Scottish woman, that had a cat like face with some wrinkles, but less than Dumbledore, rectangular glasses, brown hair tied in a tight bun under a witch's hat, dark brown eyes that were compassionate and caring, but she felt that they were usually sterner and stricter. She was named Minerva McGonagall and Lyria was told by the woman herself that she would be her transfiguration teacher throughout her entire education at Hogwarts if she finally decided to go there instead of hiding herself all her life in the security of her castle.

She discussed a lot with the old lady that came at least once a month at her home to share knowledge and experiences from a friend of hers that never managed to overcome her harsh past. The professor however soon remarqued that the lack of human emotions that Lyria showed when she told her the events of her life was a bit affraying and led her to ask her questions that gave her some answers that didn't please her.

* * *

_Flashback : 1990, 21 of February - Potter Castle_

* * *

"Miss Potter, why are you staying so inexpressive and detached from the horrendous events that happened to you ? You shouldn't bottle up your emotions and your fears as it will only bring you more pain and fear in the future… Professor Dumbledore and I can help you if you let us… It is not good to dwell in the past or to do as if it never happened, you must overcome these memories if you want to fully live your life" McGonagall said trying to open Lyria to her and help her with something she thought was torturing the young girl but she didn't know until now how wrong she was.

"I don't know what you are trying to make me say professor. I don't dwell in the past nor try to act as if it never happened. What happened to me, happened, and I dealt with the situation myself more than a year ago. I killed Vernon Dursley and my cousin is surely paying for his wrongdoings, so everything is fine. I hate them, of course, and I will never forgive them because in my opinion when someone hurt another he needs to be hurt twice as much and then, only then, justice has been applied. That is my conception of justice : be twice as kind to those that are kind to you, be indifferent to those that are to you and bring down the hammer on those that hurt you, but never strike the first blow or you would be no better than the evils you fight, but make sure that they never will be able to try again to hurt you. And the more important to me is to never trust anyone but me and only me." Explained Lyria as she fiercely looked right in the eyes of the old lady that was staring at her strangely with mixed emotions on her face.

"You seem to have thought a lot on the subject Miss Potter… I must say that your vision of justice is very white or black and your lack of trust in the others is quite dangerous because if you never trust anyone but you, you will see that barely anyone will follow you in the future if you do not force them to… In many ways your point of view is very similar to this of You-know-who and I must admit that I have my reservations on whether or not someone with such an ideology should have the rights to benefit the full education of Hogwarts but it is not my decision to take… You have earned the trust of the Headmaster I grant you that and I like to think that you will be a good person in the future with whom were your parents." Frowned the cat-lady that was not entirely convinced that it was a good idea to allow, someone lacking so much emotions and with such a harsh vision of the world and justice, to benefit the teachings of Hogwarts, fearing the rise of another Voldemort, despite knowing the prophecy.

"I understand your point of view professor as I understood the way of thinking of my uncle, but I am who I decide to be and I will not change to correspond to your expectations nor those of the Headmaster. I don't know even a thousandth of what you know of life or magic or politics or anything, as I am just a child and then I know nothing but I don't want to be the puppet of someone. I will follow no-one and I will ask no-one to follow me professor, I just intend to live my life as I wish to and that's it, nothing less nothing more." Sighed Lyria tired of the old lady.

She had quite liked her when she first talked to her but as the time and visits passed, she began to dislike more and more the attitude of the women that thought that she could dictate her what behaviour and what vision of the world she should have. She had to admit that the lady seemed to have good intentions at mind and was afraid as she often said how similarly she seemed to view the world as the last Dark Lord. To Lyria it meant nothing, as she didn't care about power, about politic or about the Dark Lord, she just intended to live her life with the minimum of annoyances and restrictions.

"Well I think it is time for me to return to Hogwarts, thank you for the tea Miss Potter, farewell until next time" Like this, Pixi led the old lady outside where she could apparate to Hogsmeade as Lyria only nodded a goodbye to her.

* * *

_End of the Flashback_

* * *

Lyria remembered this conversation as it was only yesterday because it marked a clear line in the change of behaviour of the transfiguration professor towards her, she came less and less often and the only time she came, was with the Headmaster. As the old lady lost more of her respect as the visits passed, the Headmaster was slowly entering in her good views and she even began to appreciate the intelligent and light conversations she had with him, even if they were rare.

Since February, she had thought and considered more and more about the possibility of going to Hogwarts, her indecisiveness fueled by her daily discussions with her friend in her mind. The more time she passed discussing with the other girl made her grow accustomed to her antics and way of thinking. This past year and a half, since she learned that she was a witch too, her relationship with her mind friend blossomed exponentially to the point where they rarely spent more than half a day not talking to each other.

This company was more than appreciated by the two lonely girls that found in each other what they lacked for most of their young lives, someone of their age that had experience somewhat similar living conditions. They could relate to the other one and they understood each other very well like two very old friends would after decades of friendship, yet they were still so young. Still one could thought that being in the head of one another would make the two wary of the other because they could hear their every thoughts and yet they managed to let the other in, whatever the subjects were. Today was not an exception and as the day went on and the two stayed in contact all day enjoying the hot mid-summer day.

"_I swear you creep me out with this interest of yours in the creation and uses of poisons. Moreover, even with me being in your head I can't understand your love for potion making. How come you can love staying hours behind a super hot cauldron, being stressed by the precise and timed manipulations and all ? I really don't understand you on this."_ Frowned Daphne inside her room as she was practicing something that her mother had gave her days ago, that was meant to make her learn more about her instincts as a vampire and how to prevent her from falling in pure bloodlust, when to feed of blood if she wanted to prevent anything 'funny' to happen as her mother explain with a strange sense of humour.

"_Well I find it quite rewarding to see something that you have spent many hours or days on being successful and having the expected result. Moreover I like the smell of most potions I do at the moment even if I read that many others smell so foul that you can't take them without pinching your nose."_ As she said this Daphne snorted and responded : "_See ? That's what I'm talking about, potions are hard to make, they smell and taste foul most of the times and the heat is annoying and makes you sweat. Really no pros for potion making sorry !"_ While hearing this Lyria rolled her eyes before setting them back on the brewing potion in front of her in her basement potion making room.

"_You are not refined enough to appreciate it that's all. You may be a little noble girl, you are brute on the inside, aren't you ?"_ Teased her Lyria as she smirk when she concentrated enough to imagine the reaction her friend was having : an exasperated pout.

"_It's false, I'm very refined too, I like dancing, wearing fancy clothes, painting, singing and many other things that a lady do !"_ Huffed the ten years old blonde girl to prove her point. When she returned her attention to her work. She was not particularly interested in it because from what she understood from her mother, it was very unlikely that she would need to know vampire etiquette, with the possibility that she would maybe never encounter another vampire that know theme aside her mother.

"_You are not learning it just for this, you also learning it to know what to expect from your body and why these custom or tradition are important to vampires in order to better know yourself and your body. Moreover it interest me and distract me from the cauldron from time to time so continue reading and stop complaining."_ Lyria knew that it annoyed yet helped her friend more than anything when she did that and it was for this particular reason that she did it every time. If it wasn't for her, Daphne would have stop reading the book days ago and so would not even know what food and potion her body could not ingest.

"_Mou… I hate it when you do that ! You're forcing me to read this annoying book when I could just read about charms, jinxes, hexes and curses or other thing like maybe starting to learn the runes. But no Madam wants to be entertained when she brew dangerous thing and she is interested in it so I have to continue reading…"_ Complained the blonde vampire vehemently, throwing the book far on her bed and jumping on it to curl in a ball-like position where she refused to read simply and obstinately.

"_Don't give me the bad role, I just want to know more about vampires like you…"_

"_No I don't !"_

"_Yes you do, I'm in your head silly ! Moreover you know that it would make your mother happy and fulfilled in her role to pass everything she know to the next generation. To finish my point, it will help you but also me not be complete ignorant about what we are and it will help us at Hogwarts no to do anything that will cause us or others harm."_ Finished Lyria as she was crushing the petals of a rose in a powder before putting it in the cauldron with much practice in her movements, finalizing her potion on which she put a lid.

"_..."_

"_Tock tock ? Are you here ?"_ Lyria was met with a strange silence as even the hundred of thoughts she usually had in the head of her friend were not very quiet.

It was the same as when she was asleep. If she was asleep it would annoy her a little bit that she managed to do it when she was talking and so ignoring her. Yet before she could be annoyed at her friend, everything came back to life very quickly in the mind of her friend making her jump in surprise as she was not ready to pass from complete silence to a full mess of bruyant thoughts. Usually when they were starting to initiate the 'link' between their mind, they felt like a light knock in their subconscient, just having to open or close a door to communicate with one another, but the transition was made in a gradient not sudden like just now.

"_YOU ARE GOING TO HOGWARTS ?!"_ Her friend literally screamed, not in her thoughts but it was all but the same for the black haired vampire, that felt like her ears where going to bleed from the sheer decibels she received.

"_Uh… Is it really the only thing you cared to listen from my explanation ?"_ She faked to be hurt but failed miserably when wave of excitement and happiness flooded in her mind and body from her friend.

"_Answer my question !"_ Questioned once again the blonde girl to her friend, but this time with less intensity and in her mind, having noted the pain her friend felt to her ears sheepishly.

"_Yes I am."_ She simply told her.

"_What ? That's all ? No explanation, no contextualisation, no speech about how you go to Hogwarts to be united with me your best friend and that it would break your heart no to be live this adventure with me ? I am a little disappointed to say the least…"_ And disappointed she was. She had tried to convince her for a year and a half to accept the letter to Hogwarts the day she would receive and each time she said that she would see later. And now that it was 'later' and she had made her decision, she didn't explain what made her change her mind.

"_Well, if you want to know everything, even if I am sure that you already know it without having conscience of it. I just thought that I wanted to try to give another chance to life not to treat me like complete useless trash and let me have some good memories and years in my life. Something I didn't have the chance to experience so far."_ Said bitterly Lyria as she looked at her ceiling pensively. Daphne cheered at her response before she calmed down and felt the inner turmoil of Lyria. The Potter heiress was feeling the hunger and emptiness inside of her growing stronger after each minutes that passed making something click inside of her. She needed to tell her friend about her problems, she didn't know why now, but she felt that she had to do it now. "_You know… I feel hollow inside since the last Halloween… and I… I couldn't understand why but with your book I recently began to understand what was wrong with my body… You remember how I have those periods I had my hands shaking uncontrollably since May ?"_ Asked Lyria as she explained the things that made her take her decision.

"_Yes, it was after the day you were running with Arcturus and Ash, isn't it ?"_ Daphne remembered this day very well, she had been afraid that her friend had some sort of disease that the muggle called Parkinson, at first the name was funny to her because it was the same as one of the friends of her dad, but when she read about the symptoms with Lyria to help her, she panicked like never before. "_Not a good thing if you want my opinion, you really scared me there. I really think you should ask your elves to call a doctor for you."_

"_Yeah well I was scared too but not anymore. Hum ? Ah yes I was asking if you remembered which you do… And do you remember what you read last week about how often a Vampire should nourish himself with something a little more consistent than just human food ?"_ Continued the black haired lady of house Potter clearly stressed and not at ease with the topic at hand.

"_Yes, it was said that after drinking for the first time blood and thus activating your true essence as a Vampire, you should drink blood at least once month in varying quantity depending on your height, weight, age, magical core size, surroundings for the last month and that's it I think."_ Recited word for word the ancient book of her mother not seeing where her friends was going with this conversation

"_And do you see how much more I eat since december ? I feel like I can't vanish my hunger and it hurts a lot…"_ She said sadly while grasping her belly.

"_Yes I know… I know that you don't like it when I say that and it is already the fourth time this month that ask you this but can't you please ask for a mediwizard or a doctor to come and heal you… It pains me to see you letting yourself rot because you don't want anyone to approach you let alone oscult you."_ Admitted not for the first Daphne, knowing how much her friend suffered, being in her head helped her understand this better than anyone, yet she could not help with any bit of it, she just a mere observant that couldn't do anything but watch and understand silently.

"_I'm alright now… Well… I think I will be alright…"_ Mumbled Lyria as she continued to massage her belly in order to take away some of the pain, but saying that it was not very effective would be an understatement.

"_And pray tell how are you going to be alright if you don't do anything ? Seriously I listen to you when I have problems to deal with and yet you refuse to hear my thoughts and council on your health… I don't blame it's your choice… But seeing you inflicting this to yourself like you didn't care unnerve and pain me at the same time… I swear your stubbornness will be your death one day…"_ Sighed exasperated Daphne pinching the head of her nose, her eyes closed while she was sitting on her bed, her back to the headboard.

"_I know sorry… But when I say I'm going to be alright, I really think I will… I ordered a two pouches of two liter of blood… Illegally… But I paid for it thrice the price !"_ Revealed Lyria as she tried to justify her actions. What she said struck Daphne like a full speed truck on the road, yes she knew one or two things about muggles thanks to Lyria.

"_Wait wait wait ! You ordered four liters… of blood ? What for…"_ Began the blonde Vampire before she realised the reason and she gasped. "_You… You ingested the blood of your uncle when you killed him right ?"_ Lyria simply said yes letting Daphne continue. "_And you didn't drink blood since then, did you ? … This means… It's been a year… And eight months ! You are starving yourself to death ! Are you stupid ?! You could have killed yourself at least a hundred times since then ! Didn't you listen to when I read that Vampires that refuse to feed monthly with blood cause their whole body to become so weak that a simple fall can break your bones, a simple food-borne illness could kill you ! It's like living without an immune system along a body made of glass !"_ She continued to rant like that for ten more minutes until she finally stopped to calm her ragging breath and her burning nerves.

"_Sorry…"_ Simply muttered Lyria that had curled herself under her bedsheets in shame and pain from her friend's reproaches, sobbing silently, willing to disappear from the view of anything as her hunger began to burn exponentially inside her after mentioning the arrival of fresh blood to her house.

"_Sorry ?! Do you understand the danger in which you put yourself…"_ As she was ready to renew her rant, she stopped quickly when she heard the depressive and disturbing thoughts of her friend. She was the one that was ashamed of her now, she had made her friend cry in her anger and she had frightened her making her think that she should disappear under the cover of her bedsheets. Then, she heard them, the dark thoughts that Lyria had managed to keep at bay for the past year. She heard her deep and sickly desire, no, need for blood, her entire being was devoured by this need to taste the blood of someone… something… anything. "_Are… Are you okay ?"_

"_I'm sorry… But I can't bear it anymore… Help me… I am so hungry… I'm ashamed of myself… I don't know… I don't know if I will… drink blood… When the packs arrive… I can't drink it… It's wrong… I knew that I was a freak… even among vampires…"_ She sobbed freely, not even trying to pretend that she was alright anymore, she felt so ashamed of herself that she was ready to die if her only friend rejected her because she was a monster.

"_You idiot !"_ Shouted Daphne in her mind making Lyria jump in fear. "_Don't you understand… Drinking blood is normal for us… for you… for every vampire. Once you have tasted blood for the first time you can't stop and don't have to stop for your entire life. It's what makes us physically stronger than human, that's what makes us different, that's what give us our power and longevity. However denying your true nature and refusing to feed of blood is contrary to our very nature and existence. There is nothing to be ashamed, at the contrary, you should be proud to be able to resist the bloodthirstiness every of us feel after a long time without blood… Be proud to be a vampire and not ashamed to be one… I'm proud of me and of you… But if you continue to starve yourself… You will die… And before that you will suffer like hell and lose your magic, longevity, strength and you will wish to already be dead… Think about it… Feed yourself please..." Pleaded Daphne that didn't want to see her only friend in pain anymore._

"_Why aren't you in need to feed too then ? Why am I different ?"_ Cried Lyria while tryong desperately to calm her breathing and tears.

"_Because I feed once a week with my mother… If you hadn't hide it from me I would have been able to help you sooner… You wouldn't have had to suffer like this… I want you to be honest with me next time you feel weird… Okay ?"_ Gently said the blonde girl.

"_Yes… I will try"_

She sighed : "_Well trying is at least better than hiding it…"_

_"I'm sorry… I'm worthless…"_ Cried Lyria hugging her legs tight against her chest, her head hidden between her knees.

_"Don't say that. No one is worthless. Some people won't like you, some will hate you or despise you. But at the same time others will care for you, like you and see you as the brilliant person you are. You know that you are not worthless, so don't just live eaten by your fears and insecurities, fight them and conquer them to only bring out the best of yourself to show to the world. I know your worth so trust yourself."_ Reassured her with all her kindness and gentleness but with a hint of certainty in her voice and a lot of confidence in her friend, helping her calm her cries.

_"What would I do without you ?"_ Smiled faintly and very tired the Potter heiress.

_"You would let yourself die like an old cat, hidden from the view of anyone under your covers or die forgetting to eat a meal when you are absorbed in your plants developments or kill yourself with one of your dangerous potions or plants I guess…"_ The blonde said sarcastically trying to cheer her friend. She smiled in success when she heard the other chuckle after sniffing her tears away.

_"I didn't fully respond to your question though…"_ Noticed Lyria as she remembered the beginning of the conversation before it drifted towards her sickness.

_"Yes it's true… But you don't have to if you don't want to."_ Assured her the orange-eyed girl.

_"I want to go to Hogwarts mainly because of you… I always wanted to encounter you but after this past year and a half, I don't want to encounter you anymore… I need to see you, to really talk, laugh and play with you… I want more than what we have now, I want to be able to describe you to Pixi and Fily, let you meet my lovely boys, my birds make you visit my gardens and parterre, the castle and everything else. I want to discover the world with you if you want to stick with me..."_ She revealed frankly as she tried to wipe the rest of tears out of her reddened cheeks. _"And finally I want to thank you properly with everything you have done for me since so long as I can remember you being in my head."_

_"Thank you… You think that I helped you a lot but you don't know how much you being in my head helped me when I was lonely and sad… I have my mother for me but it is not like having someone of my age that understand my life… I really think that we will be stick to each other for life, after all you are and will always be my best friend."_

_"Yes I am"_

After this most needed heated conversation, they stayed all day connected to each other as usual but in a quiet and comfortable silence where the two of them found a much needed peace inside their heart and mind.

The day went by quickly and the day after this one was Lyria's birthday and also the day they would receive their letters for Hogwarts but of that only Daphne was aware and she managed to keep this information from Lyria's mind in order for her to enjoy the morning surprise

* * *

_The following morning - Potter estate._

* * *

Lyria awakened slowly in some sort of dullness, her body felt overly slow and unresponsive. As she began to be more awake, she saw for what it was, her body had decided to work in some sort of very low regime in order to maintain her alive and sain until she feed of much needed blood to fuel her body.

She chuckled at the thought that she was no more different than the car of her late Uncle, if she was without fuel, she was as good as dead and could not move without help. Trying to take into consideration the concerns and words of her friend, she decided not to take anymore risks in any possible way because her body was so weak that she could have been shattered into pieces at the most little injuries.

So she decided to take the safest and most reasonable course of action and called for one of the two people that would take care of her to the end of their life with a big smile plastered on their face.

"Pixi ! I need your help please !" As she said that, her little servant appeared with a clear 'pop's and announced his arrival.

"Mistress called Pixi ? What can Pixi do to help his Mistress." Asked eagerly the little gentle creature as he waited at the side of her bed.

Lyria got out of her bed sheets and opened the silky curtain of her king-sized four poster bed, as she said : "I am not feeling very well today, I feel so weak that I don't trust my legs to carry me where I want to go so I want you to assist me until I feel better"

"Of course Mistress Lyria, Pixi will do as you commend ! Where does Mistress ant to go ?" Replied the house elf.

"To the dining room, I am hungrier than yesterday if it is even possible at this point." She sighed in defeat at her own negligence and principles that had made her refuse categorically to approach once again any type of blood in fear of her liking for it after she killed her uncle.

"Very well then." As he said that, he extended his little hand for her to grab and when she did so, he separated them to the dining room where he helped her seat in her large and comfy purple master chair. "Pixi and Fily will prepare you an even bigger breakfast than yesterday then." Cheerfully exclaimed the cute little creature as he rings to the kitchen where his acolyte already was after he heard the call of his Mistress.

"The two of you really are life savers. Remember me to prepare the two of you a new set of cakes when I'm feeling better !" Promised the young girl to her servants that all but complained about her newfound cheerfulness after the sickly and tired appearance of their Mistress these past few months.

_"Oh ! Bad timing I guess…"_ She heard the disappointed voice of Daphne in her head.

"_Yes this year you won't wake me up screaming in my head, I was prepared !"_ Chuckled Lyria as she began to enjoy her enormous breakfast where waves after waves of food came and were devoured by the little girl.

"_Yeah well I see that"_ Laughed the other that failed to surprise once again her sleepy head of a friend. "_Well then : Happy Birthday !"_

"_Yeah thank you. I will be sure to give you a nice present this year for yours as we will see each other often after entering Hogwarts"_

"_I don't want any dangerous plant or potion or anything that has to do with them ! I don't want to die because of your experiments !"_ Daphne warned her friend with a most serious frown on her face making Lyria giggle as she could imagine the face in her imagination.

"_You know I am not experiencing anything, the only thing I do for the moment and most probably for many years to come is to master potions already working and written step by step in a book."_ She emphasized the words already working and book to prove her point that she was not doing anything dangerous for the time being.

"_Yeah yeah whatever you say, from my point of view it is not as safe as you pretend it to be. I hope I made myself clear for your choice of present ?"_ Lyria only nodded with a smile on her face as she said : "_Yes sweetie pie"_ This made Daphne shiver in horror : "_Don't call me that, firecracker"_

"_Ok let's call it a draw and stop this before it goes too far"_ Laughed Lyria at the quick response she had been given.

"_Draw ? Alright"_

"_My friend ?"_ Tried Lyria as she ate another toast with an egg on it, already the fourth she ate since she sat the dining table twenty minutes earlier.

"_Hum ?"_

"_Do you have any preference on which house you want to be ? And how are we going to be sorted ?"_ Inquired the Potter heiress pensievely.

"_For the second question first, it is really simple according to my brother you only have to put an old and rusty wizard hat on your head and it will place you in a house depending on your mindset and qualities."_ Told her the first Greengrass daughter.

"_Ok. And for the first question ?"_ Pressed the black haired girl.

"_Well That's a tough one. I don't view myself as someone particularly hard working, I'm loyal but to a restricted amount of people and I don't like badgers, moreover, my brother told me that Professor Sprout was a weirdo with her plants and it already creeps the hell out of me with you so with someone I don't know, I wouldn't her as my head of house. So Hufflepuff is a no no. Again I'm courageous when needed but I'm not stupidly brave or foolhardy to enter Gryffindor, also I don't think old McGonagall will be a teacher I will like very much if I trust your judgement about her. Then it leaves Ravenclaw and Slytherin in which I think I'd like to go, but I'm pretty sure I will end up in the snakes den."_ Presented Daphne as she thought about her default and qualities.

"_And pray tell me why is that you are sure of it ?"_ Asked Lyria confused at the sudden certitude of her friend.

"_Well… All the family on my father's side ended in Slytherin since 1351 according to the family tree and my mother despite her loathing of my father, is very much alike him so I will surely end up there."_ Simply stated Daphne, that had her mother brushing her long blond hair in front of her full-size mirror, with a golden brush. "Thank you Mama" Her mother simply smiled to her, kissed her head and got out of the room as she said : "I'm going to run an errand, I will come back at one in the afternoon." Daphne just nodded and smiled.

"_Your mother seems to love you very much"_ Listened the black haired girl with a sad note to her thoughts. "_I wonder how it feel to receive the love of your mother"_

"_I… I don't know how to describe it to you… Can't you feel it inside my head ?"_ Lyria nodded as Daphne tried to convey the feelings to her.

"_It feels warm and overwhelming… It's a great feeling… You are lucky, I envy you a little bit…"_ She only said, before Daphne sighed at the foreign feeling of loneliness she felt in the head of her friend and sunked as she could do nothing to change it.

"Mistress Lyria ! Mistress Lyria ! A package arrived and Mistress is required to sign something to retrieve it if Pixi understood well !" Pixi had sneak around the delivery man as he made himself invisible with house elf magic and quickly conveyed the information to Lyria.

"Very well, can you take me to the front gate and give me something to help me walk to the man in question ? Good, and stay at my side unseen to prevent anything to happen to me… Thank you Pixi." She commanded with a grateful smile on lips at the eagerness and happiness on the face of her servant that was so pleased to help her.

"_Is it what you told me about yesterday ?"_ Inquired Daphne. Lyria nodded so the blonde girl said : "_Don't forget to do as I advised you please… I'd like you to get better sooner rather than later…"_ With this, she followed the thoughts and actions of Lyria as she closed her eyes to concentrate better on her side. Pixi apparated them in front of the main gate behind a bush next to the main bridge that led in a straight line to the first garden that the garden aligned with the front of the Potter Castle.

They had to cross the beautifully carved stone bridge, that had four three meters high, reinforced steel statues of knights in full plate armour, with polearms, seeming to guard it as their duty. The muggle that waited on the other side of the huge baroque gate of steel didn't know it, but they were actually guarding the bridge as they were alive and enchanted to protect the domain along side all the other knight statutes that were scattered all around the domain.

As Lyria passed them, they bowed the head before her and hit the ground with the tip of their versatile weapon to show their respects to the Mistress of the estate, not that the muggle could see it, thanks to the muggle repelling spells that covered the entire area. Once she arrived at the gate, she was out of breath of having walked only twenty metres by herself at a very slow pace. She tried to open the gate, passing her hand over the lock waiting for her magic to command the gate to open by itself, but she failed. Her magic was so weak and flustered at the time being that even doing this was impossible in her actual state. She sighed and asked mentally to Pixi to open it from under his cover and he obeyed.

"Hello sir, I heard you had something for me to sign in order to retrieve my command." Said Lyria to the delivery man that looked to be the perfect casual muggle, John was his name if she read correctly on his little yellow badge.

"Hum well… Isn't your mother or your father home, young girl, it is the sort of package that can only be given to the person that paid for it and he needs to sign it to confirm he really received it. Would you mind calling your parents to sign it ? The Marquess if possible as she is the one that ordered it." Gently said John, being the professional and serious worker that he was, willing his job to be done by sticking to the rules.

He hoped that he hadn't seemed to ordering to the girl as she was clearly the daughter of Marquess and Margrave Potter that lived in the Castle that was in front of him. He didn't want to lose his job because of the vagaries of little pampered girl that thought she earned the world. However, after a moment he thought about something that made him frown a little bit. Didn't an important Margrave and Marquess died ten years ago in a burning house during Halloween, that had a very similar name ?

"Huh… In fact, I am the Marquess Potter… My parents are dead for a long time now… I am the one that ordered the package…" She only said a little embarrassed by the fact that she had been remembered indirectly that she did not fit the description of an actual Marquess. In fact, when Pixi and Fily told her of the nobility title that her family possessed she had been equally shocked as was the man in front of her at her revelation.

"Oh… Please accept my most sincere apology Marquess Potter… Well… Huh sign there then if you please." Stuttered the man that was too shocked by the fact that the little girl was actually the Marquess Potter and owner of the land he lived on. As Lyria signed on the small spot at the end of the formal paper he had given to her, she smiled to the man.

"Well there is no need to apologize sir, I know that I don't fit the description of a Marquess yet. Will this be all I have to sign ? Can I retrieve the package ?" She asked, and he nodded, before he bowed in front of her as she closed her gate once again and began to go back to her house to finish her immense breakfast.

He looked at her little form disappear in the horizon as she crossed the first bridge and entered the first garden. He sighed at his unexpected encounter and entered his car to head to the small village in which he lived in, having finished his work for the day. He was sure to tell everyone at the pub tonight that he had encountered the little girl that was the Marquess Potter and that owned the land they live on. He still couldn't get over his initial shock as his car came to life and he began to drive.

On her side, Lyria laughed at her encounter and quickly stopped as it caused her pain throughout her entire body coughing a little at the pain. She apparated back in the dining room, thanks to Pixi's attentionate behaviour, and sat down to take a break from the normally not taxing journey, when she was in good shape. She grabbed the scotch that maintained the cardboard together that served as the package cover. Her hands were shaking so badly that she couldn't even pull the adhesive band away, when Fily saw this as he was coming with the next dishes, he took pity of his poor and sick Mistress and used his magic to open the box and retrieve the content and placed it on the table.

He made the package disappear only letting the two red pouches that held what he hoped would be the salvation and remedy to his Mistress pain and the evil that ate her away for a year now. As every house elf that served the Potter family throughout its history, he knew about their nature as disgraced and fallen vampires that had fallen because of the Feveret Sanguis. He had read the many testimonies of the first Potter that were exiled to England, that wrote in details, their symptoms and the excruciating pain they feel enduring at every hour of the day and for their entire life as they gradually lost their powers to the disease.

If the Potter's house elves could be described with two words it would most certainly be : proud and fanatical, their trust and obedience to their powerful and respected yet gentle masters could be found in no other family in magical Britain. Thus it was only natural that it lasted to the end of the Potter line, extending this obedience and love for their masters to Lyria. This meant that if Fily or Pixi thought it necessary to kill or rob for their Mistress, they would do it without any hesitation, and if human blood could save their beloved Mistress, they would be glad to provide her this "ingredients" through any means.

"Mistress Lyria, aren't you going to drink it ?" Asked Fily intrigued by the hesitation of his Mistress.

"I… I… I can't do it… This was in the body of someone else… Another human being… This… This disgust me… I can't do it…" The moment she saw the red vital fluid inside the pouch, all her resolve of yesterday and the walid point of Daphne vanished in her mind. She was a human too, she couldn't drink blood, she convinced herself.

"But if you don't try then you will never get better Mistress. Do you Fily to do something to help you Mistress ? Fily would do anything to help his Mistress get better." Sunked the house elf as he recognised the look in her eyes as one of complete surrender.

He had seen it before in the eyes of his late Master Charlus, when he was asked to step down from his position as the Minister of Magic because had chosen to declare war to Grindelwald, even if the new government agreed that it was indeed the course of action to take not longer than two years after this event.

"There is nothing you can do… I can't drink it… How… How can she drink this… This is so… Disgusting…" However, as much as she denied herself the right to drink what would cure her from the slow and atrocious disease that was growing under her skin, she couldn't stop the hunger that was burning inside of her, telling her to drink this salvator fluid to the last drop.

"_So here we are at level zero once again… You won't drink it, will you ?"_ Sighed Daphne not so surprised.

In fact, she knew that her friend would lose her resolve and her reason the moment she would see the actual blood. She knew it not only because she was in her head, but because she knew her so well by now. Despite having told, shown and proven that she was a vampire and that she needed but also had the 'right' to drink blood from human, without this being seen as barbarism and completely disgusting and wrong, she still thought like she was a human being. But Daphne didn't come unprepared today, after the conversation of tomorrow, she had asked her mother to show her what happened to vampires that refused to drink blood, and holy she would have regretted to have asked if she was not so sure that it would help her with the matter to come.

"_How can you drink this… This revulse me… I am not a cannibal… I am not a barbarian… I… I prefer to die than let… This… enter my body through any means."_ Stated Lyria turning her head from the actual subject of the argument. She felt if she looked at it another second, she would throw up.

"_Well I was right to take precautions… And trust me you don't prefer to die like this…"_ Argued the blonde blood drinker as she gathered the memories that were given to her via legilimency by her mother.

"_How will I… die…"_ Lyria was cut in the middle of her sentence as she received from her friend the atrocious images of the vampires that died of deprivation of blood. This was the straw that broke the camel, and Lyria throw up in disgust in the cardboard cover that once sheltered the blood pouches.

She saw it. The way they died and the way they looked like during the terminal phase. Vampires that refused to drink blood fell into insanity as the first phase, their mind broke and they were nothing more than mindless corpses that could only feel pain, hollowness and despair. Then after months in this lethargic and extremely painful phase, came the second phase : The Drought. During this phase, the body of the vampire expel everything that enter it by every orifice, the body slowly and through immense suffering, begin to dry itself out, making the skin very fragile, cracking and sink down, the muscles atrophy, the bones become porous and as weak as porcelain, the mouth becomes so dry that the tongue atrophy and some time detach itself and the teeth pop out one after another.

All in all, everything happen to bring the most painful and slow death that one could ever dread to receive. But then comes the last phase, when the blood vessels become so thin that the blood flow give a sensation of burning from the inside, the pounding of the heart feels like a hammer is shattering your ribcage, the lungs at this point are so atrophied and damaged that breathing is nearly impossible and burn like a hell fire pit. At this point, death is coming like thunder and death is quick but as painful as everything one endured since phase one, but compacted in ten seconds, making them the most atrocious of one's life.

Once dead the body looks like a pitiful representation of a badly conserved mummy, with the eyes sinking out of their orbits, and all the body dried out, with a deathly pale skin and deep red blood vessels looking like a giant cobweb on all the body that had no more hair, fingers and toes, those ones having detached from the body during phase two. This vision of hell would make anyone, even battle hardened warriors or mad scientist throw up or feel disgusted.

"_I didn't want to see this either, but you left me no choice… Do you want to go throw this because you refuse to drink blood… And know that once you enter the phase one, you are doomed, you can't drink blood to reverse the process as it has already begun… Once you have fallen into phase one, this… Is what awaits you… Don't regret refusing the blood you have in front of you… Don't put yourself through this much pain and despair… Don't make me see you and feel you endure this hellish treatment of nature helplessly… Think about it well"_ Pleaded Daphne equally disgusted by the images of horror she had shown to Lyria.

"_Why are you showing this to me ! What's wrong with you !"_ Shouted Lyria after she wiped her mouth and coughed many times. She was furious and revolted by the images her friend forced her mind to acknowledge.

"_To prevent you from doing something very stupid, unimaginably painful and deadly ! If you weren't so stupid about this 'I don't want to drink blood because I think I am human' I wouldn't have shown you this or even asked my mother to show them to me in the first time !"_ Responded the blonde girl as furious as her friend because of her stubbornness and lack of use of her brain cells.

"_Friends aren't supposed to turn against each other ! You should support me instead of forcing me to do things that I can't possibly do because it is awful and abnormal !"_ Ranted Lyria as a cold and burning fury exploded inside her, relinquishing all her bad emotions and feelings on the wrong person that she was aware in her state of what she was doing.

"_Then I don't want to be your friend if it means that I stop you from killing yourself ! How can you be this stupid and blind when I just show you what would definitely happen to you ! I'm done with you if you choose to be suicidal masochist moron ! DOn't come crying to me when you start dying !"_ Like this, Daphne forcefully closed the mental door between them and locked it from her side to prevent herself from losing her resolve.

If Lyria had decided to kill herself then it was her choice as she had clearly shown this past year that she didn't took her warnings and advices into account before acting or in her everyday life behaviour. She felt like she had someone stabbing her in the heart at the idea of her abandoning her friend to a certain death, but she had her limit too and seeing her friend knowingly commit suicide even after seeing the result was too much for her. She closed her eyes as tears began to roll on her cheeks and decided to occupy her troubled mind in order to wash the shame and sadness that poured into her heart.

On her side, Lyria was not faring any better. She was hopeless. If anything, she wasn't ready for her only friend and the only person that understood her to leave her like that after such a heated argument. They had never argued before. How was she supposed to act ? Was it the end of their friendship ? Had she destroyed everything ? Had she pushed her friend too far from her this time ? Did her friend shattered their bond ? She couldn't hear her anymore, was she dead ? Did she abandon her ?

Everything was the fault of her condition, she was sure of it. It was her vampire heritage that was to blame not her ! She was a human she couldn't behave like those monsters and drink the blood of the one of her kind ! She was right, there was no way that she could be wrong, drinking blood to survive was wrong ! She was not a freak ! She wouldn't allow anyone to say otherwise, she wouldn't drink blood because it was the very core of the issue !

Was it ? Was her condition of vampire really the problem ? Was her family the one that wronged her with this genes ? Was she really the victim ? Was her friend in the wrong and was she in the right ? Were those images real and was she going to die like that ? Was the blood in front of her really the core of the problem or was it her ? Was she a freak not for wanting the blood but for refusing it ?

She was so confused. Nothing made sense anymore. She didn't know what or who was right or wrong. She didn't know what she had to think of the situation. She didn't know how to view herself. She didn't know if she was a vampire or a human. She was lost and she was completely panicked. Everything was so messy inside her head. The silence from her friend's side frightened her like never before. She was all alone for the first time in years. She couldn't even remember the moment she started to have her constantly in her head. She felt like she had been cut in half.

She began to hyperventilate. Her heart was aching so much that she felt it necessary to grip her clothes tight on her heart location. Her vision was blurred because of the overflowing tears that had gathered on her eyes and cheeks, without her noticing. She felt so alone that it made her shiver in fear. She felt like an abandoned little kitten in hostile land. She couldn't bear this treatment anymore. All her life she had grasped this rope of hope and light that was the friend that shared her mind in the most difficult moments of her life and now, at the threshold of reason and madness.

She began to plea her friend to come back. To help her. She was going to listen to her now. She had to come back to her. How could she survive alone when she was so afraid to be alone more than two minutes ? She was nothing more but a parasite that clung to his host in order to maintain some sort of decent living conditions. She tried to calm herself and organise her thoughts. But it only made things worse as she felt even more alone now that she only had her thoughts to look into and judge the situation with.

She felt like her head was about to explode because of all the mixed and raging feelings inside of her. Anger. Despair. Insecurity. Loneliness. Fear. Hunger. Pain. Confusion. Panic. And she only saw one thing that could solve at least two problems. The blood that was in front of her. She couldn't even hear what was happening around her or see anything apart from it. Her two house elves were panicking at her state and were trying to assess the situation and help her but she couldn't care less.

If she had to destroy everything in which she firmly believe since then, all her morals and ethic, her upbringing as a human being, her disgust at the idea of blood, then so be it if it meant that everything would calm down and give her some silence and peace in her head. She extended her arm to grab the first pouch and took it to her mouth. She opened her mouth wide open revealing her fifteen millimeters long canines.

Then she pierced it hungrily with her canines in an instant. It was at this moment that she felt it. The same sweet and amazing sensation that she had experienced the day she killed her uncle, the pleasure of drinking blood after so long. Never she had eaten or drunk something as good as this. And so she gulped and gulped until she could not drink from it anymore. She tore apart the plastic in a sort of trance and licked it until there was no drop of blood left.

But it was not enough to satisfy her. She eyed the second pouch all the more hungry but this time she was trembling as she reached for it. Her eyes were full of tears and she couldn't look at it longer than two seconds before breaking the eye contact. Everything that she had done to convince herself this past year and eight months, that she was the most normal being in the world and that she was not a freak, had reduced to ashes the moment her friend had leave her alone with an ultimatum and no indication to when she would come back to her.

She was a freak now and even convincing herself that she wasn't was impossible now with what she was doing at this very moment. Yet she didn't pull back her hand that had grabbed the second pouch of blood, instead she, trembling like a leaf in the wind, placed it in her mouth and pierced it. And she drank its content, slowly, sobbing to her heart's content, feeling her hunger, despair, tiredness wash away and disappear, she felt her body awakening slowly but surely. It was the first time in months that she felt herself having enough strength to make plan for the day and not just some short excursion outside to check her plants only to return in haste in the safety of her bed or potion lab where she could put her body in a sort of pause mode.

She felt alive. But this feeling was coming with a bitter taste in her mouth as she finished to lick the last drop of blood. She was alive, yes, but alone and conflicted and still a mess. _"There is no good in being alive if it was to live like that"_ She thought as she contemplated the void in her head. She had thought that calm and peace in her mind would make her some good. But she knew now that she could not have been more in the wrong.

Now that her mind was void of any panicked and confused thoughts and stress due to her illness and the depart of her friend, she realised that it only made her feel even more empty than before because her friend was nowhere to be heard in her mind. It only renewed her tears but this time she didn't try to stop them, she let them flow until her eyes would not be able to let them do so, and she got up quietly.

"Pixi, Fily… I'm going back to bed… I want to be alone for some time… I am not hungry anymore so no need to prepare anything fancy or big, an egg and a toast would suffice for dinner… I'm will surely not be here for lunch… You can take a break, you earned it well." Like this Lyria walked with a little bit of difficulty as her body would take some time to return to a normal state.

She climbed the stairs in pain as her sore muscles and cracking bones protested by the effort she made them do so soon after taking her 'remedy'. Her feet had taken to her room on their own without her noticing before she grabbed her sheets and kicked her slippers from her feet, as she got in the security of her bed. This evening Lyria didn't got out of her room. The two days that followed were the same, Lyria cried herself to sleep at night and in drowned in the silence of her mind all day looking like a ghost.

* * *

_Three days later - Potter Castle - 09h00_

* * *

It was midday when a familiar person was waiting outside of the gate of the property of the Potter family. Albus Dumbledore was there early for a good reason, his protege hadn't respond to her letter to enter Hogwarts and thus, he assumed that she didn't want to go to Hogwarts. However this didn't mean that he didn't want to hear the reasons that made her chose not to go.

Pixi and Fily were quick to come and lead him deeper into the grounds and cross the two main bridges to enter the Potter Castle. This castle made on platforms in the middle of a river always made him like a child once again when he looked around him. He always thought that his late friend Charlus had a really magnificent home and that going to Hogwarts was not so much of a change in beauty and richness, not taking into account the sheer size of the school and its grounds. As he was admiring once again the amazing paintings that covered every roof of each pieces of the Potter's ancestral home, Pixi said something that intrigued him.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, why are you here ?" Asked innocently the house elf.

"Well I am here to know the reasons that made young Miss Potter chose not to go to Hogwarts." Smiled the old Headmaster comprehensive despite his clear disappointment at Lyria's choice.

"What are you saying Headmaster ? Mistress Lyria said three days ago that she was going to Hogwarts this year." This made Dumbledore frown, not quite understanding the situation because of this simple affirmation from the little house elf.

"What are you saying Pixi ? Lyria never send a reply to her three Hogwarts letter sent on the 31st of July, 1st and 2nd of August. This only means that either Lyria doesn't want to go to Hogwarts or that she never received her letters, which I doubt is the case. So can you lead me to your Mistress or tell her that I'd like to discuss a little bit with her." Explained the Headmaster that obviously thought that the house elf didn't know what he was saying.

"Mistress Lyria is not feeling well this past few days. She told Pixi and Fily not to bother her with anything even with meals. She seemed to be really sad and silent so Pixi did not insist on the matter and did as he was ordered to." Told the little creature shifting from one foot to another.

"I think that I must insist you let me see Miss Potter, I think that we are missing something here. Would you mind leading the way Pixi." Insisted the Headmaster with a piercing gaze on Pixi that could not muster the will to go against the old man's wishes as he knew that his Mistress needed moral help at the moment.

He lead the powerful wizard upstairs and lead him through three different corridors before stopping in front of a big eben door on which was written in gold : _Lyria Potter_. He knocked and waited for an answer that he never got. He try once again. Nothing. Another time. Still nothing. The old man sighed and tried to open the door to find it locked by a rune of the house.

"Pixi would you mind opening the door for me please, I think your Mistress is not inclined to let us enter." Demanded the old man as he pinched his nose tired of this little game. Pixi unlocked the door and opened it for the chief warlock. "Thank you" He said as he entered in the room that was plunged in complete darkness.

"I said that I wanted to be alone… Get out Pixi… You two Headmaster… Please." Mumbled Lyria from under her covers.

"Lyria I feel like you are not inclined to talk to me so I will be quick. I just want you to give me personally your reasons for not coming to Hogwarts this year. After that I will go and let you alone I promise." Said Albus as he stayed far enough from the bed to stay out of her comfort zone but close enough to hear her clearly.

"I have no reason to go now… She doesn't want to have anything to do with me anymore… I am alone now… Truly alone… I can die and it wouldn't matter…" Only said Lyria, shuffling from under her sheets to look at the headmaster through a little space between her bed curtains.

She looked like a ghost, she was really pale, her voice was void of any emotion other that pure sadness, her eyes and cheeks were red and still wet from the numerous tears that flowed from them. Her hair were a dull gray and her emerald eyes were blood red, looking like the shadow of their former beauty. But what made him link everything together was the fact that she was talking about her bonded.

"What happened Lyria ? Your appearance is quite unpleasant to look at. I can't help you if you don't tell me clearly what happened between the two of you." Inquired Albus as he conjured a comfy looking chair next to her bed.

"I don't want help… She abandoned me… I was too stubborn… I" Then Lyria explained to him everything that happened to her this past year and the two argument she had with her friend. "There's nothing that matters now… I can't go to Hogwarts if she doesn't want to hear about me anymore…"

"Well it seems to me like she had more than enough good reasons to get heated while dealing with you. I am not here to give you lesson on how stupid it was of you to act like you did however. What I want thought, is that you accept to go to Hogwarts because what I'm going to tell you is very important and shall influence your decision. I've made a lot of research on the nature of your bond and despite the scarce informations I managed to find, I am confident to say that it is imperative for you and your bonded to get into contact." He began before she interrupted him.

"But she doesn't want to see me ! What is the point of…" He stopped her by putting his right hand in the air to calm her.

"Let me finish Lyria. I will most certainly respond your questions as I explain everything. What I was about to say was that your bond is something deeper that just a mental connection. What I mean is that your magical cores are connected to one another and so you will need at a moment to get into contact if you don't want to damage it. I still didn't manage to find more about what could occur to you two in case you stay forever away from each other but I am sure that I'll eventually find something about this. What I just said mean that what you are suffering from now is due to your mental isolation from your bonded and that your bonded suffer the same as you are because of her lost connection." Revealed the Headmaster as he replaced higher on his long nose his glasses.

"But why didn't she opened the door from her side then ? If she is experiencing the same thing as me now, why didn't she stopped being so silent ? This make no sense."

"In fact I think that it makes a lot of sense that she didn't linked back with you. Soul bond are really capricious, intricate and rare form of magic. From what little I understand of this field of magic, it seems that even the two of you don't have the full control of it. I suspect that when closing the door with the will of cutting contact with you on the moment because of anger, her intentions were misunderstood by the magic of the bond itself that interpreted it as a threat to the bond and obeyed to the deep feeling of the instant making her unable to open the door because it is somehow locked." Theorized the blue eyed man as he looked into the odd blood red eyes of Lyria with interest but postponed the time of questions.

"This… This means that maybe… Maybe she tried to reconcile with me ? But she couldn't do it ? Can you do something with your legi… Legimi… Something" Pleaded hopefully the Potter heiress.

"It is just a theory but it is likely that she tried to renew the contact but was unable to do so. As for the question if I could do something via Legilimency… Well I have never tried something like this before so I can't promise anything but I can try something nonetheless." He proposed lighting up Lyria's face by this only statement.

"Try anything as long as it can end the silence in my head… I promise to go to Hogwarts if you succeed even if she doesn't want to talk to me anymore… Please." Begged the young raven haired girl.

"I wasn't here to force you into Hogwarts, I was ready to accept your decision with a viable reason… But if it is all you need to accept to enter my school well it fuels my will to succeed in this interesting new task even more." Admitted the old man. "Stay still and try to guide my mind to the 'door' between your mind."

As he said that, he got his wand out of his long blue sleeve and pointed the Elder Wand to Lyria's forehead before she nodded to give him the consent he needed. He cast the : _Legilimens_, spell and then, he found himself for the second time in Lyria's mind. This time however, he was inside a beautifully decorated, in a baroque style, ballroom. The huge oval room had at one end side, a massive mirror going from the floor to the roof, that was ten meters higher.

* * *

_Lyria's mindscape sharing room_

* * *

This mirror however, did not reflect anything, in fact, it was like the surface was liquid and in constant movement. At this moment, it was like a raging sea during a tempest, with waves shattering on the edges of the beautifully carved and decorated mirror. It seemed to him like it the temper of the sea that served as the glass of the mirror, was showing the state of the bond itself, the more in danger and the most sensitive it was, the more agitated the water seemed to be. The water ? It wasn't water. Now that he was in front of it, he saw that the red color, he thought was coming from what was behind the mirror, was in truth the true color of the liquid. It was blood. He now understood that the mirror was the gate that linked the two mind together.

"I've never seen it like this before" The voice of Lyria made him jumped a little in surprise, not ready to have company in this empty place. Once he had calmed himself, after less than a second, he spoke to her.

"So this mirror is the link between the two of you right ?" She nodded and touched the surface without fear, like it was normal to her.

"Usually it is calm and smooth, it glows faintly and sometimes, when I concentrate enough, I can see through her eyes and hear through her ears via it. It's like the two of us can merge in one sometimes. Also the room is usually filled to it content, with many many things." She said with sadness and nostalgia as her touch calmed the sea and smoothed it only to rage once again when she moved her hand from it." Murmured the normally emerald eyed girl.

"I see… Then let me try something : _Legilimens !_" He said as he pointed his wand to the mirror and tried to enter his conscious through it. He tried to force his way in for a few minutes and then, suddenly, he managed to enter it, but he was instantly repelled from whatever force existed in the mirror.

He thought that he had failed and attempted to try again only to see the mirror begin to smoothen. He executed the spell again and it smoothed again. After ten minutes of constant try, it was exactly like when Lyria touched it and when he looked at her eyes that were in awe at the state of the mirror, he knew that they were on the good path. He was quite exhausted, as the process was way more magic consuming than a simple Legilimency attempt. But the results were here if Lyria's face was any indication.

"It's normal once again" She whispered as if she was afraid that talking normally would reverse the change.

"Yes it seems so indeed" Agreed the old man before he heard a booming voice in the room resonating on the walls.

"I heard you ! How ! Can you hear me ! Please respond to me !" It was a voice very unfamiliar to him but he could see that it was all too familiar to the now grey haired witch.

"Yes ! I can hear you ! Keep talking please !" Shouted Lyria with tears in her eyes."

"Who is with you ? Is he the one that helped you break the door ?" Asked Daphne that was equally emotional by the fact that she could once again open and close the door between them as will and hear her friend.

She had been so worried that in her anger and worry at her friend stupidity, she had forever closed the door and somehow blocked it. She had been feeling so bad and so weak this past three days that even her mother couldn't do anything and understand what was wrong. She was ready to give the man that helped them anything to thank him properly. Lyria looked at Dumbledore to know whether she had the right to tell her but he shook his head in the negative.

"He doesn't want me to tell you. But I am so glad he helped us. I missed you. I will talked to you later. I owe him a little bit of my time." Replied Lyria as she exited the room with Dumbledore after Daphne said a quick ok.

"Thank you so much Headmaster." Cried Lyria as she looked at the old man. "I'm going to Hogwarts this year if you will still accept me there."

"Well of course Miss Potter, you are accepted. Now I have one or two question before I leave if you would be so kind as to give me some little answers." She nodded and so he continued. "Your eyes are red at the moment, why is that ? You see with your condition I started to document myself a little bit more on vampires to assure you a good period at Hogwarts, after all I did the same with a student of mine some decades ago that was a werewolf."

"A werewolf went to Hogwarts ? How did you manage to convince the board of governors to agree to let him enlist ?" She asked dumbfounded.

"The same as for you being a vampire Lyria, I didn't tell them about his nature and made everything possible to assure him and his comrades a most normal education." Replied Albus as if it was the most normal things to do, to lie to your superiors and act on your own like it was not a big issue. "Now it's your time to answer my question."

"Oh… Uh… I don't know why they are like that, I just know that they changed colours since my birthday when I drank blood for the first time since I drank my uncle's." She told him unsure if it satisfied his curiosity but doubted it.

"Hmm… Well I should have known that you didn't know more than me on the matter…" Sighed the Headmaster pensievely.

"Won't you ask me about why I look so bad ?" Inquired the Potter heiress confused at his reaction.

"Hm ? Oh no, I don't need to ask you to know why. Among the research I made, I've found that the body of bonded people tend to adapt the situation of the bond at the moment. So it was most normal for you to look duller and sadder than usual." Explained Dumbledore as he laid once again his gaze on her. "However I'm more interested in the frequency at which you need to feed of blood to stay in good shape."

"It depends, to be in a good shape from a vampire point of view or a human one ? If it is for the former then once a week and if it is the latter then once a month… Why ?"

"I want to know in order to assure you and your friend eight good years at Hogwarts without any incident. It is as simple as that. I trust Madam Pomfrey, our medi-witch, with my life and I intend to entrust her with your condition in order to better help you if anything happens to you our your friend. Does it seem acceptable to you ?" He proposed to the anxious girl.

"Is it necessary ? I mean… I'm not eager to let someone else know of my… condition… But if you deem it necessary then yes I give you my consent." Mumbled Lyria not quite sure it was a good idea but she decided to trust the old man that so far gave her no reason not to trust him.

"I understand your reservations about this arrangement but I can guarantee you this will make everything easier for the two of you. Tell me Lyria, would you like me to help you acquire your furnitures tomorrow ? It happens that I have some time to myself and I thought it would be good for the you to have someone to accompany you and make sure that you don't forget anything. And between the two of us, maybe you will find some books more advanced in certain domain and more to your liking than simple school books." Said the Headmaster as his eyes sparkled with mirst as he looked at her from over his half-moon glasses. Lyria understood what he implied with his little game and her face light up a little bit.

"I would like it very much Headmaster, maybe I will indeed find very interesting things with some help." She took with both hands the opportunity that had just created Dumbledore.

As she said that she heard her two dogs bark from the other side of her bed, as they were lying down on a comfy carpet next to her bed. She extended her hand and scratched the head of her two faithful companion and smiled at them.

"No you can't come with me tomorrow, it would be inconvenient for me and for you." They whined at her and she made a little frown very similar to the face a mother would make when trying to make a particularly stubborn child why he couldn't this or than. "If you come, I will have to put a leash on the two of you and attach you outside each shop I enter and you will hate every bit of this trip so shush this whining. But I promise to play with you twice as much as usual when I am feeling better." She bargained with Ash and Arcturus that seemed to be satisfied with the little deal they silently made with their Mistress.

"You seem to have them wrap around your little finger." Chuckled the old man that had seen everything and found it to be a most entertaining sight. "Well Lyria I shall quit you now and return to the school to solve some last minutes details and I will see you tomorrow. Nine in the morning seems to be a good hour to go for a little school shopping session don't you think Miss Potter ?" She just nodded with a smile at the Headmasters antics and he just bowed before going back to Hogwarts letting Lyria alone once again with her thoughts.

However, this time she was greeted by a maelstrom of thoughts that were a mix of hers and her friend's making her feel warm inside at the prospect of having recovered the most precious thing that she possessed and that was this connection with her friend. Now was the time for the apology and the reconciliation.

This night Lyria and Daphne didn't have much sleep as they were more preoccupied with their renewed link and their mixed apologies and chit chat. Despite being a painful experience, this break in their link made them realise the importance of the other to them and how much they cherished this connection. This also shew them that they were not the true masters of this strange and ancient magic that linked them and that they should be more careful in the future about the way they handled their connection.

* * *

_Hogwarts Castle - Headmaster office_

* * *

Dumbledore too noted to himself to lengthen his research on this particular and not very documented field of magic. He was sure that there was more to their connection than just a bond that he was the only to know was actually a love bond. He never witnessed such a rare form of magic and was not very knowledgeable on it, meaning that if he didn't understand fully what he was dealing with, then it could be dangerous for them and everyone around if they happened to go crazy for some reasons.

The fact that they were vampires, a nearly extinct and very secretive race didn't help either. If he wanted to put in place regulations and securities around them and monitor their behaviour around the others like he did with Remus Lupin, a werewolf, twenty years before now, he had to know exactly what he was dealing with. But everything could wait for the day after tomorrow, he concealed as he entered his office in Hogwarts and sighed at the amazing pile of paperwork that had accumulated on his mahogany desk, that had most probably no link to the school he was directing.

He really needed to resign from one of his three high responsibility jobs or otherwise, he would not be able to keep up with everything correctly. Moreover he intended to invest more of his time in the school from now on and he was eager for Lyria's education to begin here, so resigning from his post as Headmaster was out of the way. But which one of his other job could he resign from ?

Supreme Mugwump had its advantages as it gave him a direct contact with the most influential people of the magical international world and it represented something symbolic from Magical Britain, as it put them in a position of strength and authority on the mondial stage. However it was very taxing on his time and needed his complete attention at least four hours each day in order to stay up to date with everything that was discussed everyday and what were the issues that the ICW needed to deal with.

Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot was also a very prestigious and politically important position as it gave him a more direct grasp over the purebloods that were a little bit too suspicious and that bought their way in the most influential sphere of the english government. It also helped him calm the more vehement protectors and spokesperson of the muggleborn condition in Magical Britain in order to keep a sort of balance in the political power. This position was also very taxing, but he could at least delegate more work on the magistrate that worked under him and that were for most of them incorruptible without the use of exterior products, spells or blackmail.

All in all, he knew what position he needed to step down from, but it was most certainly not a pleasant thing to do while knowing that it would weaken his country on the mondial stage. In a worst case scenario of full scale war against Voldemort, he could use all the support he could get from the ICW and the other european nations. But he had to make a choice and the earlier the better. A long month was awaiting him and a lot of bad press was going to fall upon him for what he was going to do as people didn't like to know that they were losing a great deal of influence and power on a global scale.

He sighed and attacked the massive pile of paperwork with many more problems in mind. Sometimes it was tiring and taxing to be Albus Dumbledore, but he couldn't deny that being him was also a very good situation in life and so he tried to smile bravely in front of his worst enemy these days.

* * *

Hope you like it ! Feel free to leave a review, follow or favorite if you want me to see more clearly your support.

Bye bye !


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's note :**

Hello again guys ! It has been quite some time since the last time I updated a chapter. For this I apologise.

As I already told you before I am currently in Civil Engineering School so I have a lot of work to do and many of my evenings are taken too... Because of the many parties I go to...

Well... Hum... That aside, I also wanted to tell you that even if sometimes in takes me some time to write a chapter, I haven't lost my interest in writing this fanfiction and I like how it is for the moment.

For this chapter, it is nearly 16k words so it is a around the length of what the other chapters are, maybe alittle bit longer.

This chapter is truly beginning the story of Lyria going to Hogwarts with the shopping, train journey and sorting ceremony. I hope you will enjoy it as I like it myself. I made some research in the meantime about what to do about somethings that would help the plot of this year at Hogwarts.

I think you will like what I have in mind for this first year at Hogwarts because at the end of the chapter, you will understand that it can only be different comparedto the canon plotline because of all the many changes I've already done so far.

I've talked too much for now and I wil let you enjoy the chapter. Don't forget to favorite or follow this story if you fell like it and if you like the sotry enough to do so.

Also if you have some time to kill and the envy to do so you can always put a review and leave your thoughts about what you like and don't like and what you would like to see in the future as I don't plan everything in detail for the story so maybe some of your suggestions will take place in the story.

Off you go then and enjoy ! ^^

* * *

Chapter 5 : Diagon Alley, Hogwarts Express, Hogwarts

* * *

_3rd_ _of August 1990 - Potter Manor  
_

* * *

In front of the porch was waiting the great Albus Dumbledore, wearing a night ble wizard dress and pointed hat. He had managed to clear his schedule in order to give his charge some of his precious time in order to help her buy all the things she needed safely without being harrassed by every passing witch or wizard at diagon alley. After a small wait of less than five minute, Lyria opened the door all ready to leave and eager to start what would most likely be a very entertaining and sympathetic day.

Her raven black hair were tied in low pigtails with two sea blue ribbons, a straw hat with the same type of ribbon tied to it. Her eyes were slowly turning back to their emerald color but glimpses of red were scattered on her irises, so she covered them with aviator sunglasses. Her skin too was getting back its normal color yet, it was still paler than usual allowing the Headmaster to see that she had in fact, like her mother, discreet freckles on her cheeks and nose.

She was wearing a sundress, that matched her ribbons, that had a laced v collar, tied on her belly by a white belt, and had a pair of sandals on her feet, and white silk gloves on her hands. On her shoulders and to cover her aquarius sign scar, she had a white laced shawl, that was lazily placed there, also serving as a protection for her sensitive skin in her actual state.

The rumour that said that vampires couldn't bear the sunlight was only partially true, as they could be outside in daytime and basked in the sunlight, but it drained their strength quicker than if they were fighting against someone. It also made them hungry much quickly meaning that the less they were exposed to sunlight the less they had to feed of blood, the longer they could keep their strength at its peak and the more powerful they were. Sunlight only was a problem the moment they reached the point were their body was too weak to protect them from it and then they would suffer huge burns on their skin.

However today, Lyria was meeting all the requirements to be outside without any issues and was looking like real little lady that was going shopping in the summer with her leather bag in one hand and the leash of Ash and Arcturus in the other. They were happily following her trying to appear as disciplined as possible in order to convince their mistress that she could take them with her today but it seemed to be in vain as she detached their leash and and told them to go and have fun in the gardens without touching any plant or flower. After this she turned to the Headmaster and smiled to him.

"Hello Headmaster, thank you once again for accompanying me to buy my furnitures today." She said as she bow in front of the old man that just chuckled at her antics.

"Now, now, don't bow like that Miss Potter, it would be bad for my reputation if someone saw you do this, I'm not some sort of deity that need to be worshipped. Your thanks were already more than enough to convince me that it was the good thing to do." He told her as she rose from her bowing position with a small smile still on her lips. "Shall we go ?" Proposed the Headmaster as he placed his right arm in front of her, intimating her to grab it. After a nod of her head she took it and they apparated out of the domain of the Potter family.

* * *

_London - Near the leaky cauldron_

* * *

A distinctive 'pop' sound could be heard in the small dead end in which the duo apparated. Lyria, that was not used to the human way of apparition, nearly threw up her breakfast when they arrived but managed to keep her trips stable enough to just have to crouch and breath heavily as Dumbledore looked at her with an evident amusement in his eyes.

"You could have told me that it would be different from the way the house elves apparate, I would at least have prepared myself from the rough journey." Complained Lyria as she got back up and pressed her hands on her chest to help her keep everything inside of her.

"Where would be the fun if I had warned you ?" Laughed the old man, but he stopped quickly as he happened to be on the receiving end of the best death glare of Lyria that didn't seem to have enjoyed the little joke of her Headmaster. "Hum… Well, off we go now. Follow me and stay close to me all the time in order for us to avoid to many annoying situations."

"Yes Headmaster." Only replied the raven-haired girl as she closed the distance between her and the powerful wizard. "So where are we going now ? I thought we were going to diagon alley ? From what Fily and Pixi told me, this place doesn't look like this…"

"Patience is mother of surety, Lyria. We need first to go to the leaky cauldron."

"And why is that ?"

"Because the entrance to the diagon alley is here. See, this is the pub right there at the angle, only the wizarding kind can see it." He explained as they joined the avenue on the muggle side that gave access to the dark and dirty building that served as the entrance to the magical shopping district.

"Even if the muggles could see it I don't think they would want to enter such a creepy and dirty pub."

"Well I would like it if you don't say this in front of Tom, the owner, as he is pretty proud of his possession." He warned her with a pointed look, not wanting to attract unneeded attention on them.

"Of course, I am not stupid Headmaster." Stated Lyria as she pushed the old and heavy door of the building without any problem.

"Welcome to the Leaky cauldron young girl, what are you doing there alone ?" Asked a bald man with an avenant smile on his face that showed his uneven dentition, before he noticed that Albus Dumbledore himself was there behind her. "How Professor Dumbledore, to what do I owe the pleasure to have you in my modest pub in the middle of summer ?"

"Ah Tom… I'm here to buy some things on diagon alley and I thought it to be a good idea to enter by the front door for once." Just smiled the Headmaster as he pushed Lyria on the back to tell her to continue to advance as he kept the attention on him, and she did just that.

"Well then would you like to take something to drink or eat before going to diagon alley ?" Inquired the shopkeeper as he smiled to the old man, that just declined politely the offer as he said that he had little time to enjoy the food of the pub

He quickly went to the backyard where Lyria was waiting for him patiently. He nodded to her and then took out his wand with a natural dexterity from his sleeve and hit seven stones in a sort of circular way. Lyria looked at him, with an arched eyebrow coming out of the cover of her sunglasses, as nothing happened for two seconds, before she began to smile as every bricks of the wall moved to create an archway.

"Welcome to diagon alley Miss Potter !" Announced Albus as he showed her the way in, entering the crowded street full of wizard, witches and magical stuff of all sort.

"Wow… That's really impressive… I kinda like it." She whispered as she looked at the thousands of colourful and busy things that happened all along the narrow and lively street.

"I was very impressed as well the first time I came here when I was roughly your age. Things have not change so much since my youth but you never get tired of it…" He smiled as he intimated her to go down the street with him.

"So where are we going first Headmaster ? Gringotts ?" Inquired Lyria as she walked next to him and tried to avoid colliding with the masses.

"Correct. We are going to retrieve some money for your purchases and then we will do the actual shopping." He confirmed and they headed towards the odd looking bank that was a building that defied the rules of gravity.

Its white marble blocks were compiled not perpendicular to the floor and gave the impression that it could fall at every moment like the Pisa Tower. However, magic being the wonderful and powerful thing that it was prevented the building from falling apart and maintained it standing proudly and showing the power and wealth of those that owned it : The goblins.

As the entered they could read the frightening sentence that had been carved in the stone that formed the archway, that warned anyone that wanted to stole anything from the bank, that they death would not be a rapid and peaceful one, and that they will never escape those walls alive. Lyria found it quite appropriate that they threatened like that any malevolent people as they were the ones that held the accounts and protected the money and possessions of every British wizards.

They passed two goblin knights in full plate enchanted armours with pole arms, and entered the bank. They saw the crowded entry hall with the two lines of desks where an army of goblins in black suits were talking to people or counting some galleons, sickles or knuts.

After walking down the hall and arriving in front of what seemed to be the desk of the most powerful goblin in the room, Dumbledore cleared his throat to catch the attention of the old and rusty creature. It straightened its position in his seat and looked at them with narrowed eyes, clearly not satisfied to be interrupted in his work. As he saw Dumbledore, he cooled down and sat back slowly as he interlaced his fingers under his chin with a big smile.

"Headmaster Dumbledore… To what do I owe the pleasure of having you in front of me ? If I remember well, your accounts and vaults are not deep or old enough to be under my care or this of one of my colleagues…" The old goblin smirked at his degrading remark, probably thinking that he had humiliated at least a bit the powerful and mighty wizard that Dumbledore was.

"You are right Accounter Ironclaw, I am not rich enough to have the chance to you as my vault keeper, however, my charge here, is… She is the reason I am here in front of you." The smile on the creature's face fell as he got up to look past his desk at the little girl next to the infuriating old man. What he saw made him sigh and sit down.

"Does Miss Potter have her key ?"

"Yes she does." Replied the Chief Warlock as he placed the key on the desk in front of him making the other snort.

"Gringotts would appreciate it a lot if the key of each of its client was in the possession of said client in the future…" Complained the old accounter. "The goblin nation may follow the terms of the peace treaty with the wizards but the rules of the wizard's law do not apply here, meaning that even an underaged wizard or witch can have in his possession the key of his or her vault when he or she is the last heir of its family." He reminded them showing that he most probably knew by heart every rules and politics of the bank.

"I will remember this for the future then." Only said Dumbledore. "Now I think that we lost enough time here, Miss Potter and I still need to purchase her furniture for the school year to come."

As he said this the goblin whistled to a little goblin next to him and then whispered in his ear. He then walked down a perpendicular corridor only to reappear three minutes later with a richly clothed goblin that had no more hair and two scars on the top of his head forming a big one in the form of a cross. He came to them and spoke to Lyria as he royally ignored Dumbledore that showed no sign of irritation about the goblins' behaviour towards him as he knew that most of them despised wizards and only had good interactions with their direct clients.

"Ah, Miss Potter ! I am glad to see that you finally decided to come and check your legacy. Follow me now and we will go to your personal vault as your family vault is closed for the moment as wished the last Lord Potter. You will have full access to it by the day of your fifteenth birthday. Yet he was quite adamant to let you more than enough gold to live comfortably for the beginning of your life. As you didn't come here before, you will be surprised by the amount that he and Lady Potter left you because you didn't touch a galleon of what they left. As you should know your family is quite wealthy and old because of the good investment of your ancestors, your father being one of the most proficient in his. However with the neglect shown in the past ten years in the management of your accounts, things have been going very slowly because we had to have the consentment of the Lord or Lady of the house Potter to continue our actions. I am not saying this as a reproach as you were too young and inexperienced to take care of those things but I say that to warn you that we will need your opinion and help in the future if you want to see your wealth continue on its path of flourishment." The goblin talked to Lyria like that for the whole duration of their trip in the caverns of Gringotts and never stopped for a second, bombarding her with informations and numbers that she didn't understand or care for in the first place. "Ah, here we are, this is your personal vault Miss Potter." He finally said as he stopped in front of the vault 687. He put the key in a hidden hole and the door opened in a symphony of clicking and ticking.

"There's a lot of gold in there." Simply said Lyria not impressed at all as she une from her house elf that her famille was quite rich. "How much is there ?"

She had never been one to be attached to money and she did not particularly liked the idea of being rich. She only found it practical and useful, also she was not one to deny using what was hers to obtain what she truly wanted to possess. This gold would allow her to gather many more plants and animals useful for her potions, poisons and to take care of in her many gardens or keep herself safe in times of danger.

"I don't know exactly, but the last time I checked the transaction documents, it was something like ten thousand galleons so around a hundred thousand pounds." Calculated the goblin with speed and practice.

"Huhuh… How much will I need for the purchases and have some pocket money Headmaster ?" Inquired Lyria as she turned to her benefactor and waited for his answer.

"I would say around fifty galleons for your purchases if you want cheap materials if not then a hundred and five more for the whole year as you are still in first year so you will not have many opportunities to buy things at school. Hogsmeade trips are only due in third year." He informed her and she nodded to show that she understood, she grabbed the exact number that Albus told her in one her purse and she headed back to the mine cart.

They did the trip back to the surface in the same atmosphere as the first one and exited the bank quickly after that. Once outside, they headed to the first shop that they needed to visit, the Apothecary. They passed in front many shops on their way there and one in particular attracted the attention of Lyria. It was an old and small shop that displayed materials that were used to paint and Lyria couldn't help herself but look at it with a strange feeling inside of herself.

She turned her head towards the Headmaster and he simply shook his head as he looked at her and the things that were sold inside the little place.

"I didn't know that you were interested in painting Lyria. If you want to take a look and buy some furniture there, I won't hold you back but I think that it would be wiser to get those needed for this school year first for the moment. The alley is still not too crowded and we should use this opportunity to buy most of what we need before wandering around." Informed her the white haired man and she nodded her agreement.

"You are right Headmaster. And no I am not interested in painting but someone I appreciate likes it a lot so I thought it would be cool to take her something from this shop. But after thinking this through, she already has everything she needs to paint. We should go as you proposed." Said Lyria as she began once again to walk up the street.

"You know Lyria… It is not because someone already has everything that a gift isn't necessary. A gift is the material proof of the attachment of someone for another… The symbolic behind a gift goes beyond the practicality of the act itself. I think that you should remember this for the future young girl." He smiled. She nodded. And then, they arrived in the apothecary.

Inside the shop, Lyria went crazy with all the potion ingredients and animals that were present. She had never been in one of these shop before as she had sent Pixi or Fily to do these tasks in the past for her. She instantly regretted not to have accompanied them, she had missed so many opportunities to lose herself in the sea of amazing products that could once put together with the good timing and order form the greatest things to exist in her opinion : potions.

The simple fact that you could nearly do anything to anyone at any moment by the mean of a potion made her ecstatic. Even if her interest had been caught by the poisons and perfumes, she couldn't deny that all the other potions still were amazing creations and that they could lead someone to glory or death.

She ended up staying there with the Headmaster more than an hour and buying a little bit more than she should have bought. However she wasn't displeased in the least by the little loss of time and neither was the Headmaster that used this time to buy some things to replenish the reserves of the school in person.

Once outside, they went to buy her books at flourish and boots. There, she once again completely lost control and bombarded the shopkeeper of questions about this and that subject and what books she should buy to have answers to her many questions, being mainly questions about herbology, magical creatures and potions. This didn't surprise Dumbledore at all that laughed at her behaviour and didn't even try to calm her but rather responded to her every questions patiently and leading her to the books that would please her.

Surprisingly enough though, was the fact that through the hectic research of books, a totally new subject caught the attention of the young girl : Transfiguration. Dumbledore had thought that the bad relationship that Lyria had with his Deputy Headmistress had shattered the interest of his protege for his favourite subject and passion, but he had been proven wrong the moment Lyria opened her book of transfiguration on their way to the physical equipment shop.

She read that this field of magic could lead, once mastered, to amazing things like turning an inert stone into a stone lion that could fight for you or awakening trees to make them help you in a fight or opening a path inside a forest or even conjuring things. She found it absolutely amazing and when he told her that it was his speciality and that he once taught this subject at Hogwarts, the young heiress asked him to teach her those year. Even if it gladened him that she wanted him to teach her about transfiguration, he thought that Minerva wouldn't be too happy to have him stole her students from her and that her classmates would find it to be favoritism for the Girl-who-lived.

He exposed her the things just like that as he assumed that she was smart enough to deserve the real explanation and she accepted it sourly but with understanding in her eyes. He though, told her that, if she aced all of her exams in the subject up to fourth year, he would reconsider his position and teach her more advanced knowledge in the subject to boost her skills, if she had ones in this branch of magic. This compromise seemed to be pretty legit to her and she agreed not without telling him to prepare himself to once again take the place of a teacher and not just a Headmaster.

At the end of the morning, the alley was so crowded that they decided to go eat something at Florent Fortescue's little restaurant. They had bought nearly everything, the only thing that were left to be bought were her school robes and her wand. They passed a little less than an hour in the charming and welcoming shop of the joyous and sympathetic Florent before they went to buy her wand at Ollivander's.

They went all the way down the alley and marched for at least ten minutes before they managed to get outside the door of the rusty looking wandmaker shop. It looked so old that it could fall at any moment and the amount of dust on the windows showed the care and importance that the shopkeeper had for cleaning and appearance to the world. Yet, with what Dumbledore told him, it didn't repulse people as nearly everyone wizards and witches of Great Britain came here to buy their wand and even many strangers from other European countries that heard about his talent.

They knocked on the door and entered the shop. As they pushed it far enough to enter, a little bell ringed announcing that new customers had entered the shop. This however, didn't seem to have alerted the one that was supposed to greet them and sell them a wand. Lyria admitted that she knew next to nothing about wand, only that they were used by wizards as a beacon for their magic.

"I think that we should announce ourselves with more noise." Chuckled the Headmaster as he raised his wand from nowhere to his throat and said : "Sonorus ! Garrick !" After that, they heard many things falling and after ten seconds an old man with ruffled white hair that went to his chin came out of a pile of fallen boxes and greeted them with a mysterious smile on his face.

"Ah Professor Dumbledore ! How are you ? I assume your wand is still working well, isn't it ? My father was quite sad when he heard that your last one broke and you had to get a new one from Grindelwald himself." Said Garrick Ollivander to his late professor of transfiguration.

"Well, I must say that I wasn't too proud of myself either to have broken my wand but the one I have now is more than doing the job at cooperating with me." Replied Dumbledore with a strange look to his wand before his store it back up his sleeve before Ollivander could look at it properly.

"I thought so too… Oh ! But who have we here… Young Miss Potter, isn't it ?" Asked the wandmaker.

"Yes sir, Lyria Lily Potter." Confirmed Lyria as she took her sunglasses and hat away, to look directly at him making him frown a bit for some reason before he looked away and began to search something in the back of the shop.

"It felt like yesterday when I sold the wands of your parents Miss Potter. Wonderful magicians the two of them and amazing people too… I think we can expect many great things from you too… Well well… Will you be more like your mother, a charm gifted person or more like your father, a transfiguration gifted one… I wonder if this wand would be the one for you ?" He mumbled as he came back with a box and opened it in front of her to take out a simplistic black wooden wand with little decorations on it. "Applewood, Thunderbird feather 35.7 centimetres : perfect for transfiguration and a very proud wand that will only be loyal to its true owner."

Lyria made the gesture and an explosion sound resounded in the shop as a wood plank exploded on the floor.

"No no no… definitely not… Let's try some more…" As he said this, they started a marathon of wand testing that went on for more than two hours making only Ollivander happier than ever to have such a difficult client to work with.

Even Dumbledore started to get tired of this if his silent sigh were any indication each time a new wand was store away after Lyria broke something with it. She tried at least two hundred wand and she was getting tired and annoyed like never before because of this at the point where she just refused to take another wand to try.

"Excuse me sir but I don't to continue anymore. I'm tired of this, it seems to me like no wand is a match for me so I think we will excuse ourselves and get out of here because it is pointless." Lashed Lyria as she massaged her head. When she said that, Dumbledore got up and placed a hand on her shoulder and despite his own tiredness and annoyance at the situation, calmed her.

"There three Lyria, I know that this is not how you imagined it and that it is getting pretty tiring but I must ask you to continue trying wands until you find one that is fitting you. A wizard cannot perform magic without a wand if he didn't reached an amazing level of mastery in many many aspects of magic to achieve wandless magic." Convinced her the Chief Warlock as he looked at her before pointing his piercing gaze at Ollivander to make him understand that they would both prefer it to be quicker than longer.

"But that's the point I am not a w…" As she was going to say that she was not properly speaking a witch, Dumbledore silenced her with a rose finger in front of his mouth and a hardened gaze.

"It would be wise for you not to finish this sentence Miss Potter, it would not benefit you to let this information get out of control." Whispered the Headmaster low enough for only them to be able to heat it.

"Miss Potter excuse me if you find this too long for you but the process of a wand choosing its wizard is independent of my own will. I can only pick you wands that I think will match you. However it seems like I am missing something about you that prevent me from choosing the good match for you…" Admitted the wandmaker as he looked deep into her eyes as if he was trying to see what was missing on his analysis. After two seconds, Lyria felt a pressure on her skull and tried to push, what was forcing its way into her mind outside.

However, she didn't had to try longer than a second as she felt it go away very quickly. Once she opened her eyes, she saw that Ollivander was on his back and looking at her with confusion written on his face.

She turned towards Dumbledore and saw him with his wand in hand pointed at the shop owner before he stored it back into his sleeve. He looked very displeased to say the least. He got up and proposed some help to Ollivander to help him back on his feet, help that he gladly accepted. But as he stepped back, Dumbledore said with strength and annoyance :

"I would advise you not to use Legilimency on Miss Potter once again or I will feel obliged to open a case against you in front of the Wizengamot… " Warned him the powerful and old wizard.

"Yes if course… I'm sorry but I was just trying to understand better the client that cause me the biggest issue since a very long time… I was not trying to pry into her private life I assure you that Professor." Vehemently responded the wand maker.

"But of course Garrick, of course. It's just that Miss Potter is not anyone in our world and so her protection is my duty and her safety my priority. I so judged that it would be wise to remind you not to try and search information in her mind… Well if this matter is closed, let's go back to business and finish this, we've been her for way too long already." He closed the debate and ushered Ollivander to go back to work as he sat down and nodded to Lyria to tell her that everything was fine and that they should bear a little longer this wand choosing process.

* * *

_An hour later - Ollivander's shop_

* * *

At this moment, Lyria had sat down for twenty minutes now as Ollivander was searching for a wand in his back store and was discussing about more interesting matters with the Headmaster as she was too tired to even be annoyed by the situation.

They were discussing about what courses Lyria would have and who would be her teachers there at Hogwarts, what was his prognostic for this year's Quidditch championship…

They were fully concentrated in their conversation, with Dumbledore explaining her that last year was the sixth year in a row that Slytherin won the house cup and third year in a row that they won the Quidditch cup and that he thought it was a bit odd to see the dominance of a house for so long. He told her that he hadn't seen that since his time at the school with Gryffindor but he was cut in the middle of a sentence by Ollivander that had came back to the surface with a special box in his hands.

"I think that I've found the one that will fit you Miss Potter, as I passed in front of it I felt it blooming with a magic that felt very similar to yours." As he said that, Lyria got up like a robot and went to the wand like with any other before with boredom on her face thinking that it would be like any other one before.

"Okay…" Only responded Lyria before she looked at the box that was on the shelf in front of her and she felt it, a warm and weak wind coming from the wand to her.

"This wand is a very particular one… It was made in 1534 by my ancestor Arthur Ollivander as it is written in the box… It is made of red mahogany, a mysterious and extremely rarely used wood, which properties are very unclear. Although I worked only once with it and it seemed like it resounded with the primal side of its owner, very in tune with nature and ice. The core is liquid, something that was very popular back then but that now is totally unused because it is harder to make and way too unstable as it was to in tune with the emotions of its master. It is vampire blood from a noble italian vampire that requested it but died before the wand was finished and then, was never sold. It was even at that time highly rare to find wand with vampire blood, but thestral, unicorn, dragon and manticore blood were used pretty often for those that had the money to acquire them. For the length, it is 10 inches and unyielding." He explained as he gave the wand to Lyria.

She took it and instantly, wave of hot air washed all over the shop and heated it with intensity. The blood red wand had some sort of black veins running along it and the pommel was very refined and with many sculpted details that made the wand look very pretty and yet sickenly feeling.

The wand looked like three red branches that had been braided together and the pommel was smooth with a black vine-like design spiraling on it, the separation between the pommel and the tip was marked by two fleur de lys facing away from each other. From it escaped a low yet constant feeling of warmth and bloodthirstiness.

However, in the hand of Lyria, it felt as if it was in it's right place, like it always belonged there that it had not been made centuries ago but right now for her and only her. The connection that she felt to the wand felt like she was with a parents, it felt reassuring, dulling and warm yet protective, powerful and lusting for blood. She looked at the Headmaster and saw on his face that he was thinking about the same thing as her : This wand had been made for one of her ancestor. That was why she felt so linked to it.

"Wow… I think we've found the one… This wand seems to belong in it's right place in your hand Miss Potter… I have only one thing to tell you before selling it to you. This wand always emanated with a strong and deadly aura in the depth of this shop and it is not unknown for wands like this one to choose masters that will lead them to what excite them… I must warn you to keep your emotions in control or it could end very badly… This wand also has a strong connection to nature so you might think that hour good emotions would lead you to accomplish extraordinary things, but if you let your emotions dictate your magic, you will most probably won't be able to control them when the bad ones take the lead…" Whispered Ollivander as he took the wand from her and put it back inside the box with a pointed look and a little frown on his face as he felt deep down that selling this was somehow a mistake. He brushed this feeling aside and asked of her ten galleons.

After this, their unending trip in the wand maker's shop came to its end and they exited the shop with renewed enthusiasm on Lyria's side and silence on Dumbledore's one.

"What is it Headmaster ? Why are you frowning like that, we are finally out of this old, rusty and full of dust shop !" Exclaimed Lyria as she jumped from one feet to another.

"Oh ! No no it's nothing too important Lyria, I was lost in my thoughts… Well I think that the only things we have left to buy are tour robes for next year. As you are an independent young lady, I will let you go there as I have something to do and I will catch you back once you are finished." Told her Albus as he stopped in front of Madam Malkin's' shop.

"Ok but how are you going to know when I'm finished ?" She said as she put her hands on her hips with as she arched an eyebrow that could be seen from behind her sunglasses. Albus laughed and replied.

"Just press this little coin and I will be back in a second." As he said that, he walked away, his flashy outfit being recognisable even in the mass of strangely clothed wizards and witches. She shrugged and entered the tailor, making a little bell ring.

"Hello dear !" She heard a sympathetic and joyful voice say from her left where a young woman with curly blond hair and bright blue eyes, dressed in a fashionable green dress that was very ample and full of frills.

"Hello madam, I am here to get some robes for this school year, please." Politely asked Lyria as she looked at the woman with care as she hoped that she would not have to be dressed like that all year long.

"Well well, a first year ! You are here early, most of your future comrades won't come to purchase their furniture before at least a week if we take the past few years as a reference." Smiled the young woman as she asked the Potter heiress to follow her in the back of the shop where she would do the modifications on the standard robes.

"Are you madam Malkin ?" Asked the raven haired girl to the blond as she was getting out of her sundress behind a curtain, trying to fill the silence that had taken place when she began to undress.

"Oh no ! I am one of her assistant, Madam Malkin has three shops in total and isn't always there in Diagon Alley so when she is outside, I am the one that take care of the shop. My name is Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Winkfield by the way. And what is yours dear ?" Replied with some giggle Lizzie.

"My name is Lyria Potter, madam." Said Lyria without a thought about the impact of what she just said would have on the woman as she was putting on the robe.

"You… You are Lyria Potter ! The Girl-who-lived ?!" Exclaimed the woman as she jumped from her seat, where she was placing all of her tools for her task to come, making all of them fall to the ground as Lyria came back from behind the curtain.

"Yes I am… Is there a problem with that ?" Inquired Lyria that wasn't inclined to be eyed like a piece of meat by Madam Winkfield for the whole duration of her time in the shop.

"No, no, absolutely not ! I was just not prepared to receive such an answer. Wow… Well I will begin to work on your robes then young lady." She chuckled, returning calmed and with enthusiasm on her task, making some light conversation to Lyria as if she was any other customer, something that said girl really appreciated.

Everything went along quite well and her many robes, eight in total, two adapted to each season, were getting adjusted and tailored. Moreover, she enjoyed the company of the shopkeeper and felt at ease inside the cosy shop and with this warm sensation that emanated from it. However, something made her freeze as if she had seen death itself.

She felt in her mind the voice beginning to be heard from her side. This was pretty normal occurrence and was not what made her froze. No, what made her go completely stuck in place was that she head it in an echo. She was hearing it with her mind and with her ears. This had never been the case before and to be honest, she thought that she already knew why this was happening. This definitely had something to do with the two shapes she could distinguished in the entrance of the shop, talking to an assistant of Elizabeth.

Then, the smaller body turned around as if it felt the exact same sensation as her and looked through a little gap between the curtains that were separating the area she was in from the entrance. It was at this moment that her heart threatened to stop beating inside her chest. She saw them, two bright orange and golden eyes looking at her wide open in surprise and awe.

_"Is it… No… My friend ? Where are you right now ?"_ Asked Daphne to Lyria as she couldn't believe that she just entered the same shop as Lyria without even communicating with her for the whole day because she was too occupied with her shopping with her mother.

_"I… I am in Madam Malkin's shop… In the back store… Getting my robes adjusted… And… And you ?"_ She asked back equally stunned, this was maybe going to be the first te she met her mind friend, so she better make sure it was real and really her friend looking at her.

_"In the entrance of Madam Malkin's shop… So… It's you…"_ Whispered Daphne in their mind in awe and with excitation running under skin.

"I'm going to look at some robes while you get yours adjusted so follow the tailor and do what she says for it to be nicely done." Said Anastasia to her daughter as she pushed her back towards the redhead that was going to make her school robes. Daphne nodded absentmindedly and followed the woman.

_"Are you… Coming here ?"_ Asked Lyria as she felt herself getting anxious at the idea of meeting her friend for the first time.

_"Yes… I am…"_ Only responded the ash blonde vampire, as she got through the brown plus curtains and stopped in her track just next to Lyria, on her stage, waiting to be taken care of for her own robes.

They both turned their heads at the same time to get a look at each other, more nervous and afraid than never at the idea that the other one would be disappointed or unresponsive.

_"Wow… Your eyes… Are they natural ? They are beautiful" _Asked Lyria as she stared deeply into Daphne orange glowing eyes.

_"Yes they are… Yours too… So you have black hair huh…"_ Noted Daphne ass if she was disappointed.

_"Y-Yes… Is it… A problem ?"_ Stuttered Lyria in fear that her appearance was not to her friend's liking.

_"No… It's just that… I will have to change my paintings of you…"_ Said the blonde blushing, as she just admitted to have tried to depict her best friend with her imagination and having gotten her the wrong color for her hair.

_"Oh… I hope it's not a big deal… Do I look like you imagined me ? Because… You look nearly exactly as I thought you would look…"_ Inquired the Potter heiress.

_"You are way better than what I imagined… I love your deathly green eyes… They stand out so much… Like mine…"_ This made Lyria smile as she too loved her eyes more than anything else on herself.

_"So what of now ?"_ She questioned the blonde.

"Hello my name is Daphne Greengrass, lovely to finally meet you." She replied with her own voice, a huge smile in her face and such a strong wave of warm feeling washing over her as she finally was able to introduce herself to the one that shared her mind for so long as she could remember. She extended her hand for Lyria to take.

"Hello, I am Lyria Potter, lovely to meet you too." She took Daphne's hand and shook it happily while the blonde just froze in place. Her face decomposed itself in less than a second after Lyria introduced herself.

"You are… Lyria Potter…" In the deepest part of her mind, where Lyria couldn't hear her, the thoughts of Daphne were raging on at this information as she knew very well what were her family members : hidden Deatheaters.

Her whole family was composed of them, her uncles, aunts, cousins, father and even her mother agreed with many ideas of the Dark Lord. On the other hand, her best friend, the one she was bounded to, the sole friend she had and the most important person in her life along her mother, was Lyria Potter the Girl-Who-Lived, the Vanquisher of the Dark Lord. How was she going to tell this to her friend ? How was she going to explain that her whole family loathed her and wanted her dead at the occasion given ? How was she to choose between her mother and her best friend ?

"Are you alright ?" Asked Lyria as she tightened her grip on the blonde's hand. After a second of latence, Daphne reciprocated the gesture and smiled at her.

"Yes everything is fine. I'm so glad we finally meet. I even know your name now, we will be the best friends ever to exist." Grinned the Greengrass family's first daughter.

"Yes we will. I'm waiting to go to Hogwarts with you with impatience."

"Me too. I hope we will be in the same house though…"

"Didn't we already had this conversation before ?" Giggled Lyria as she let go of Daphne's hand to allow Lizzie to adjust the final details on her robe, as she just finally returned from her desktop where she was working her magic on the clothes.

"Oh ! You two girls already know each others ? What is your name ?" Asked the young woman to Daphne that was surprised to have to engage conversation with someone else than Lyria as she was not used to talk to strangers,, her mother scaring them most of the time or her being locked in her room did not helped her socialize in the past.

"Oh, hum… Yes we know each other for many years now… She is my best friend… I'm Daphne Greengrass by the way…" Mumbled Daphne as she looked away, clearly not at ease to talk to the unknown worker.

"There's a shy one ahah… Well that's cool that you two are friends, you will be able to adapt fairly quickly to Hogwarts then as making friends is the first step to feel at home in the castle and most importantly in your house." Smiled Lizzie to which Lyria responded with a small and content smile. "Do you girls have a house you want to be in ? Or do you let fate decide without thinking about it ?"

"I don't know what house I want to be in…"

"I think I will be in Slytherin like all of my family before me… But Hufflepuff seems to be quite good too s it is full of friendly and good hearted people…" Said Daphne that looked like a porcupine with all the needles that went through her robes.

"Well yeah, most of the times, people with a family that had a long history of going in one house tend to follow the same path. I was in Hufflepuff by the way and I can guarantee you that it was the eight best years of my life that I spent there." Agreed the blonde woman that just finished to work on Lyria's robes. "Well Miss Potter, your robes are all good and just need final adjustments, I will finish them in the two days to come and you can come and retrieve them at ten in the morning."

"Thank you Madam Winkfield, I will leave then." As she went to the exit, she turned and smiled to Daphne. "It was nice to see you today, see you in the train." And just like that, the blonde vampire nodded and smiled as the black haired girl went out of the shop and pressed the little coin in her pocket.

"Ah Lyria ! I hope your robes are nearly finished and that everything went well ?" She heard the voice of the headmaster from behind her making her jump in surprise.

"Ah ! Headmaster ! Don't do this ! I nearly had a heart attack !" Screeched Lyria out of fear.

"Well I'm sorry Miss Potter, I didn't thought that such a little show of magic would scare you out like that. That fact apart, I think it is time for me to take you back home. I will arrange later with Madam Malkin to send your clothes to tour manor so you won't have to come back and pick them up." Informed her the old man as he gave her his arm for her to take and let him separate the both of them back to Potter Castle.

After a mere second, Lyria took his arm as expected from her and they disappeared right away and three seconds later, they were in front of the main door of her castle. She was not a big fan of this type of transportation as it made her sick quite fast.

As she was containing her stomach in order not to throw up, she noticed that the oldest of the Dumbledore was fondling something in his pocket absentmindedly. She found it weird as he didn't seemed to have anything in it this morning but she decided not to question the powerful and old wizard for he surely had his reasons to be absent from time to time and have little secrets.

"Thank you once again Headmaster for today. It was really sympathetic of you to accompany me all day and having emptied your schedule of today in order to help me." She bowed in front of him as she took her straw hat off to prevent it from falling from her head.

"Now now Lyria, this is normal for me to do this for you after all I am the one that should be taking care of you and as I cannot do much for you all of the year I must catch up as I can whenever I have an occasion to do so. It was my pleasure to be with you today for your purchases. I am the one that thank you for this interesting day that I had not lived for many many years now. I bid you a good day and I hope to see you in good shape and spirit on the first of September at Hogwarts." Replied the Headmaster as he took all the furniture out of his sleeves as he had put a spell on them to make them feel as light as feathers and as small as handkerchief. He place them on the floor and the spells vanished rendering them their initial properties and form. After this, he bowed as well and separated away.

Once Lyria was alone, she called for Pixi and Fily to take care of the many items as she went straight to the eighth garden to see her two babies that must have felt lonely all day without her.

* * *

_1st_ _of September 1990 - King's Cross train station._

* * *

Today was a great day for Lyria as she was for the first time, going to enter the grounds of Hogwarts, the school in which her parents attended, the school in which she would live for the next eight years and learn magic alongside many other children of her age and make many friends. She was sure that today would be one of those memorial days that would be stuck in her memories for the rest of her life like some major events that determined something important in her life.

She was accompanied by her two house elves that used a trick of house elves magic that made them appear as 'humans' in the eyes of the other wizards and muggles, apart from their Mistress. They were pushing her trolley and were calming the nerves of the stressed Lyria Potter that feared to be in contact with so many people in a matter of minutes. She had taken a liking to her hermit like lifestyle and if she was honest with herself, she couldn't deny the fact that she would have enjoyed quite as much her life if she had stayed in isolation and grown old and alone to finally die in silence and peace.

However, this was not the path she had chosen, for now, she was going to Hogwarts and enter the real world, where you can't hide forever from your fears and problems but where you face them and solve them, alone or with the help of friends you had to make in order to not stay alone. She had chosen to embrace the legacy left by her parents to her and to embrace the part of witch that lived inside of herself.

She headed slowly towards the third pillar between the ninth and tenth platform in order to enter the platform 93/4 where the Hogwarts Express waited for the students to come before kicking off to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. At first, she had no idea where to find the entrance to the platform, but luckily, her loyal and adorable house elves had accompanied once her father to the entrance and therefore knew how to get in. This made her task way easier as she had not to worry about entering in the hidden train station like any other muggleborn or muggle raised or orphan.

There she was, standing in front of the brick wall, with her trolley next to her in the hand of Pixi. She took a deep breath and walked to the wall with closed eyes as she went to smash into the wall, only to find out that she passed through it as if it never was there in the first place. When she opened her eyes once again, she was met by the busy platform on which thousands of wizard and witches were gathered to say goodbye to their children and help them get their belongings on the train.

The train station was way bigger than she had expected and she could not stop herself from looking everywhere around here to catch a glimpse of everything that moved, whistled or smoked. She could see what made everyone love this place. There was this atmosphere of warmth, business, love and comfort that hung in the air with all the parents and children waiting for the train to go and sent them to Hogwarts for the first year or another one as amazing as the first ones.

As she was standing in the middle of the crowd, she soon saw that she was blocking the way to enter properly the station ad n that her elves waited for her a dozen meters farther aside an entry to the train. She could see it's red and gold colors glowing in the strong light of the station with the emblem of Hogwarts on it, representing the four houses of the mighty and old school.

"Mistress ! This way !" Told her Pixi that impersonated a young man in a butler uniform with the crest of the Potter family on it. This made Lyria think that she liked it a lot to think that she could have humans working for her family in order to make her big house and grounds more lively.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." She replied with a small smile on her face at the vision of her elves being so enthousiast at the idea of her going to Hogwarts like her parents before her but sad at the same time to not have her around in the castle.

"We will miss you dearly Mistress ! Fily loves having you around the house and taking care of the grounds with a smile on your face !" Sobbed Fily as he was putting her belongings into the baggage car.

"Pixi too is sad ! Pixi hope that you will feel happy at Hogwarts and that you will come back very soon to Potter Castle ! It will be empty once again without you ! Be sure to eat and sleep well too ! If the house elves don't make you eat enough we will go and see them ourselves !" Assured Pixi with a fierce determination to protect and take care of his Mistress even when she is away from her domain.

"Don't worry too much for me you two… I'll miss you both a great deal too… But this is the path I've chosen to follow and I'll always need you and rely on you two… I love you two, take care of the house, the grounds and my boys during my time at Hogwarts. I will see you at the winter break for two weeks so don't let yourselves become old and rusty !" She told them as she hugged them with strength to show them her affection. She said those things to comfort them but also herself as she was still afraid of going at Hogwarts.

"Thank you Mistress ! Have a good time at Hogwarts !" They both said in unison before they disappeared in a loud crack that strangely enough wasn't heard by anyone farther than a meter from there because of the loudness of the station.

Now that they were gone, Lyria felt it smash her in the face hard. She was alone. All alone in the middle of a sea of strangers and wizards. She turned around and looked at the train itself and lost herself in her thoughts. She was going to pass four months in a giant castle full of children like her that came to learn how to use and control their magical powers. She was going to have to make friends in order not to feel alone as she had not obtained the right to take her dogs with her to take her company.

Her feet moved on their own and led her to an empty compartment where she found herself safer than before as most of the sound of the exterior was muffled by some sort of spell. She was now trying to calm herself as she hadn't noticed that her breathing had went out of control. She was slowly getting back in her normal state and she expired a great deal of air to clear her head from all the negative thoughts that ran through her head only moments before.

She had to be and think positively. Surely there would be nice people who will love the same things as her and want to tag along with her. Surely she was going to be sorted in a house where many people will like her and make her feel accepted and comfortable for the first time in her life when talking about society issues. There was no need to panic, was there ? Everything was going to be alright, wasn't it ? Maybe she was just overthinking the situation and there was nothing to worry about.

With this new state of mind she began to relax and enjoy the warmth of the train and the nice and plush benches that were provided in the compartments of the train. As she was beginning to finally be at ease, she heard the voice of Daphne resonate in her head making her jump in fear at the sudden intrusion in her already clouded mind.

"_Don't ever do that again !"_ Shrieked Lyria to her friend, sitting back in her seat with her head in her hands to calm down.

"_Whoa ! I didn't know you would freaked out like that just because I entered your mind… I've done it countless of times in the past and you never said anything… I'm sorry…"_ Apologised a bit confused Daphne as she was getting into the train on her own, having already bid her goodbye to her mother.

"_Nevermind."_ Lyria sighed. She knew that she had been under a lot of stress lately because she was afraid of going to Hogwarts. Her thoughts were very conflicted and she couldn't get rid of her fears and assumptions.

"_Well… Where are you ? Once I've stored my belongings I will come in your compartment if you allow me to sit with you ?"_ Informed the blonde haired vampire as she was giving her huge suitcase and owl to a man that was taking care of the task of storing the stuff given by the students.

"_Yes of course you can come… I am in the fourth compartment, from the entrance, of the second car… And please announce yourself before entering so I don't get the fear of my life once again."_ Replied the Potter heiress. She passed her long fingers through her silky raven hair and began to braid those on each sides of her head before she joined the two braid into one on the back of her head. She was tired of having her way too long hair going into the way of her vision and this hairstyle did a very good job to clear her eyesight.

"_I'm here !"_ Claimed Daphne that was waiting outside making Lyria sighed in exasperation.

"_We are two meters away with just a door separating us and you still talk to me in my head ? Will you use your voice this years when talking to me or is it too draining for you ?"_ Complained Lyria as she opened the door and stood in front a smiling Daphne that just stuck her tongue out and entered the room, passing Lyria and sitting happily on one of the benches.

"_Why talk to you when we can do this ?"_ Argued Daphne as she looked straight into her eyes with insistence.

"_You know what ? Do what you want… Daphne."_ Said flora passionated girl. She was still not used to call her friend by her name. It was too strange, too new to her. She had called her '_my friend'_ for so long as she could remember and now there she was with a name that was owned by the person she knew nearly as well as herself.

"_Lyria ?"_

"_Hm ? What is it ?"_ Acknowledged her Lyria as she was opening a box, that was half a meter long and a quarter meter wide and deep, that she had taken with her. Inside of it was a six little divisions in which were dirt and little seeds scattered on it.

"_What is this ? Are you taking plants from home to Hogwarts ?"_ Inquired the pureblood witch as she looked at the interior of the box.

"_Yes. I can't bring my dogs so I brought some flowers and magical plants to take care of. It's relaxing and fascinating at the same time, even more than animals. You have take care of them with a lot of love, knowledge and rigor to have the best results when they come to bloom."_ Lyria explained to her friend smiling to her plants and pouring some water on them from a some vial that was before concealed in one of the side of the box.

"_I see. Well at least you will have some things to occupy yourself in case you have nothing to do. I have an owl so it's the same for me. However my owl will return the feelings I have for her when I take care of her. Your plants may be grateful for your care they can't really express it."_ As she said this, Lyria looked at her with a pointed look that made Daphne wonder what she had said to upset her friend.

"_My plants express their gratitude to me ! Do you think that you could have as beautiful and big plants as those I have home if I didn't properly took care of them ? Do you think that they would give me such great properties if they couldn't reciprocate the hard work I put into them all ?"_ Replied sternly Lyria that refused to lower her gaze from Daphne that sighed in exasperation.

"_You know that it's not what I intended to tell you… Merlin ! We talk in each other's head for ten years and you still manage to not know what I mean when I am talking to you… Either you relax or I leave… I know you are stressed out and not in the best dispositions right now because you are afraid… But I am not the one you should trash talk to, because I am your only friend for the moment and you will always have my in your head… Deal ?"_ Countered Daphne without backing out. If there was something that the two had shared above all, it was their heated personality and their pride. They stared at each other for five minutes straight before Lyria broke the eye contact and apologised.

"_Deal… Sorry Daph"_

Despite having to live her whole life isolated most of the time, Daphne had developed a strong personality and a shell of strength and pride around herself to avoid being taken lightly by everyone. She was a replica of her mother in appearance but her personality was far from the same. When her mother was always putting on an cloak of supremacy and indifference towards everything and everyone, showing them how below her they were, Daphne was the allegoria of coldness. She was one to never forget about a debt or a sin committed against her and to take revenge at the first occasion.

She remembered the day her brother had destroyed for fun her favorite dress. This day she said nothing and just stared at him coldly and escaped the room right after the incident. This day she swore to take revenge on him and the occasion presented itself only three days later. Her brother had been bathing in the grand bath of the castle with her vicious and despicable cousins that never missed an occasion to insult her when her mother was not home. This day, she boiled the water in an act of cold fury and accidental magic, making them get out of the bath quicker than they ever were, leaving each of them with burning marks for them to remember not to mess with her anymore. And they did.

* * *

_Hogwarts Express - 13h00 _

* * *

They had stayed in a content silence for two hours before they began to feel famished. The were actually passing through the beautiful green lands of the center of England when the stomach of Lyria made her know that she needed to eat. This made her cough a little at the sound emitted by her body while it made laugh Daphne at the sight of her embarrassed friend.

"Excuse me… I'm a little hungry…" Said Lyria sighing when she saw her friend laughing at her extent. She put her book '_A thousand and one poisons and perfumes'_ away and started to unfold a small bag that had been sitting next to her since the start of the journey to Hogwarts. Inside the bag was a hearty meal and some sweets.

"Me too ! What are you going to eat ?" Asked Daphne as she took out a pouch from a pocket of her robe. The pouch had a spell on it that permitted her to put many things inside of it without it feeling heavier and stuffed. She got out a pile of two sandwiches and laid them on the small table that could be raised from under the window of the compartment.

"Tuna sandwiches. And you ?"

"One with salmon, cream and herbs and the other one is with beef, sweet pepper and cheese, a french cheese named morbier, it's delicious. My mother made them."

"My house elves made them for me. I love cooking and I would have done it myself but they begged to have the right to do them. I couldn't refuse it." Smile d Lyria as she looked at her meal. "Well have a good meal then." They so began to eat in a happy atmosphere sharing their meal.

However, this nice and warm feeling that hung in the air disappeared quickly when the door was opened without a warning putting both girls into a defensive mode, both having a family background that made them weary of violent behaviour and familiar with danger or problems coming their way. Daphne put on her best inexpressive and colder than ice mask looking at the intruders while Lyria tensed up her body but otherwise did nothing to acknowledge the newcomers, continuing to eat slowly.

"Ah Daphne Greengrass ! I was searching for you, I heard from my father that old Cyrus had a daughter going to Hogwarts this year… I must say that my father wasn't wrong as always, you really are beautiful ! Let's get to know each other as you will most probably become my wife in the future from what I heard !" The loud and cocky voice that resounded in the room belonged to none other than Draco Malfoy, heir of the Malfoy family, son of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. He was backed up by Gregory Goyle junior and Vincent Crabbe junior, that served him like servants would for their master despite their pureblood status being similar to Malfoy's.

"_I didn't know that Draco Malfoy was a friend of yours"_ Noted Lyria still eating like nothing happened.

"_He is not !"_ Countered Daphne before she got up and face Draco. "As far as I'm concerned, I don't know you Heir of House Malfoy. I would like it if you didn't call me Daphne in the future as I didn't gave you the permission to do so. I don't want to have anything to do with you now or in the future let alone be your wife. Now please leave while we are still talking calmly." Warned him Daphne, the threat of something worse underlying in her voice and demeanour.

"I think you don't understand the situation Greengrass. You will become my wife whether you want it or not. It is not up to you to decide. So you will start to behave like a proper pureblood lady in front of her husband and shut up and do as I say, underst…" Malfoy couldn't end his sentence as he received glass full of water in the face making him gasp like a fish outside water and tighten his fist hard enough to whiten his skin. He turned to Lyria that was still feigning not to be part of the debate and not being concerned. It would have worked if her glass was not empty. "How dare you ! I don't know who you are but I will make you pay for this !"

"I beg your pardon ? What have I to do with this argument ?" Inquired Lyria that had stopped falsely enjoying her meal and turned her full attention to Draco that was boiling with anger.

"Crabbe ! Goyle ! Put her back at her right place !" The two monkey like pureblood nodded and walked to Lyria and grabbed her arms to forcefully get her up.

Once she was straight standing up, Crabbe immobilised her without any troubles despite the Potter heiress movements to get out of his grip. Goyle prepared himself to punch her in the face with no remorse. However he was caught off guard by Malfoy's screams.

"Ah ! Ah ! It itches ! It itches so much ! It hurts ! What did you do to me ! Stop it ! Help me you two ! Make her stop it !" Whined Draco that had dropped to his knees and was scratching himself all over his face. His lackeys came to his help and got him up once again but he waved his arm in a circle and slap them in the face for them to let him go.

"It's a minor poison meant to get any skin like tissue to get so itchy that you feel pain and a powerful need to scratch your skin. It won't wear off without the good antidote, and only I have it, or if you endure for an hour. However your friends broke the antidote that was in my sleeve when they grabbed me so I would advise you to go and see someone that could have it to release you from the effects of the poison otherwise it will be painful." As she said this, Lyria straighten her robes and sat down at her place gazing with insistence at Draco that backed off the room not without a menace of revenge followed quickly by Crabbe and Goyle.

"_Amazing ! And to think I told you that you were a weirdo to love potions because it was too hard to use in a combat and let it be effective !"_ Exclaimed Daphne bewildered as she close the door and put her back on it. She slid on it and sat on the floor her back still to the door exhaling in relief. "_Thank you Lyria"_

"_You're welcome… I'd rather not intervene in your affairs the next times… I don't want to have problems with anyone that I don't know in the future."_ Informed her the black haired vampire that rolled her shoulders to loosen the tension and pain she felt because of Crabbe's grip on her, seconds sooner.

"_Sorry… It won't happen again I promise. Still I swear I didn't know him either. I've probably met him once in a flash during one of the gathering of my father's friend at home. Moreover, he is way too rude to be someone I'd like to hang on with."_ Sighed the orange eyed girl.

She knew that she had not assured on this one and she also knew that she had to show everyone that she was not someone to mess with because she wasn't fond of the idea of hiding behind Lyria when the latter had no goal to make any enemies in the magical world. One would think that with her brother being Head Prefect and from house Slytherin, the house she would most probably join in a matter of hours, meant that she was safe for this year of any mistreatment.

However one could not be more wrong as her brother loathed her for everything she represented : the tensions between their parents, the incarnation of beauty that she had apparently stolen from her brother and sister, another vampire and many more things that made her a despicable being in the eyes of her own brother. Entering house Slytherin was not an option to her and it was not something she awaited with impatience like her little sister.

Lyria felt the inner turmoil of her friend and wet next to her in order to try and make her feel better but she had no idea how to show her her support. So she awkwardly patted her head and combed her finger through her silky ash blond hair, kneeling in front of her. Lyria herself never received affection from another human being despite some very infrequent occurrences with the Headmaster but otherwise, she was completely oblivious as to what to do when someone is feeling sad or broken.

She could not relate to what Daphne was feeling as she only knew how to hate or ignore human beings. She was not used to this so she could not provide Daphne with more than what she was doing, but sharing a big part of her mind with the other vampire girl helped a lot on this matter. Indeed, even if the moment was awkward to Lyria, Daphne felt the gentle and sympathetic intentions towards her through their link and began to feel better and cheer up a little bit. She raised her head and made a small and not so convincing smile to her friend that still had the merit to draw one out from Lyria herself.

* * *

_Hogwarts Express - 18h00_

* * *

After a long and draining journey inside of the Hogwarts Express, the train station of Hogsmeade, the sole village of Great Britain to be only inhabited by wizards, was in sight. Before they knew it, the train had stopped and everyone was getting out of their compartments to exit the train. The older students were all excited to start another year in this castle that was their second home and for the first years, excitement was mixed with some stress or fear as most of them heard the jokes invented by the older students talking about the sorting system.

Indeed, when hearing that the sorting system varied between facing a full grown adult mountain troll, to kill an acromantula or having to guess the riddle of a sphinx to stay alive and be sorted, there were reasons to be afraid. However, it didn't meant that those that knew those rumors were false weren't stressed because of which house they would be sorted in by the mythical and elderly Sorting Hat.

Once the hat of Godric Gryffindor, the founder of the house carrying his name gave it to the school in order to end the issues that were encountered with a biased human voting system to sort the students in the four legendary houses of Hogwarts. Somehow, the mass of student dissipated only to leave the first years aligned in front a giant man named Rubeus Hagrid Groundskeeper of Hogwarts, that also was a half-giant.

"Hello firs' years ! Follow me now ! We're goin' to take the path on the lake ! Only four by boat ! Care not fall into the lake it's rather cold and the giant squid love messing with young ones !" This didn't help calm the nerves of the innocent and unfamiliar kids with the new environnement they were thrown into.

"There's a giant squid in the lake ! Why are we taking boat if they is a giant squid into the lake ?!" Panicked a brown haired boy with a strong irish accent and that looked not very smart from the outside.

"It's not dangerous at all ! Just don't fall and everything's goin' to be alright !" Reassured him Hagrid. At least he tried to.

"_Well that's reassuring…"_ Said Lyria that hadn't heard about this fact before.

"_Don't worry, Hagrid is right. The squid is just like a child, if he sees you in the water he will think you want play with him otherwise he is calm and not harmful."_ Informed her Daphne that knew something from hearing her father and brother talk together about Hogwarts when they weren't fighting for this or that point in their sick ideologie that they disagreed on.

"_If you say so…"_ Lyria entered the boat with precaution not to get on the front or back and not to put too much weight on one side in order for the boat not to return itself in the water.

The journey on the lake was uneventful, in the end they didn't even met the giant squid and the only thing they had to concentrate on was the beautiful view that was offered to them with a glowing and illuminated castle on top of a massive and high pike at the far end of the lake. They reached the other side in less than twenty minutes and docked inside a small building in a caret inside the rocky foundations of the small mountain.

Once they were all out of their boats, Hagrid led them up a long and sinuous staircase that was following the clifface and going right to the top of it ending up in front of the main entry of the castle were professor McGonagall was waiting for them. She looked as strict as ever and the frown on her cat like face was not something that Lyria had missed in the slightest. She disliked the woman with passion as she viewed in her a denying of everything that she had endured with her utopic ideas of how humans should behave towards one another and how one should think on this or that subject and many other things.

Despite her disliking the woman in herself, she had taken an interest to her subject and she swore to try and invest herself to the fullest in it in order to obtain private lessons with the Headmaster in the future years. They all gathered in front of her and waited for the transfiguration teacher to start talking. She analysed them with her narrowed eyes from behind her oval shaped glasses, putting her hat better in place on her head and then cleared her throat to get the attention of the most dissipated ones.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. I am professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts and Head of House Gryffindor. I will be the one to guide you in the great hall when the preparations are finished to sort you into your house. There are four houses, one for each founder, called : Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Your house will be like your family, your success will earn it points and your mischiefs will deduct points from your House. This will affect your ranking in the House Cup that is delivered at the end of the year after your efforts throughout the year. Now wait for one or two minutes as I will check in the Great Hall if everything is ready to welcome you." Announced McGonagall that climbed the ten stairs and crossed the ten meters that separated her from the Great Hall.

"Wow ! Its true ! Lyria Potter is at Hogwarts this year ! Hello my name is Ron ! Ron Weasley, nice to meet you !" A tall and skinny ginger head boy with many freckles scattered all around his face.

Him shouting out like that in the middle of all the first years made them gather around her like a swarm of bees wanting to have their share of a honey pot. This had the effect to make Lyria close herself from the world and shut her face in order to calm down and try to avoid being the center of the attention.

"Hello Ron Weasley. Nice to meet you. Please don't take it badly but I'd like not to be stared at like I am an attraction in the zoo. Thank you." This simple sentence had the effect to make him take consciousness of his embarrassing behaviour towards her, backing off quickly and looking away from her clearly not proud of himself.

If he had the decency to stop gauging at her, not everyone had the same reserve, like Draco and his two lackeys that glared at her with utmost disgust and anger as they recognised her from the girl of the train that humiliated them. As Lyria was about to tell them out for it, McGonagall entered the hall once again and told them to follow her, in line two by two.

They did just that and she walked into the Great Hall for the first time of her life like all of her comrades, side by side with Daphne that looked bored. Somehow, the hundreds of flying candles, the night sky full of stars that was doing the job of the ceiling, the four tables full of older students, the magnificence of the hall, the statutes and the teacher's table did not impressed her at all.

They walked towards the stage on which was a small stool with an old rusty hat place on it. McGonagall stopped next to it, asked the students to stop in front of the stage and took a long scroll in her hand. At this moment, the hat took life and sang a song that presented each houses and their qualities and who could expect to enter this or that house. After that, she replaced her glasses higher on her nose and bean to talk to them even if it seemed like she was addressing the entire student corps.

"When I will call your name, you will come and sit on the stool, I will place the sorting hat on your head and you will be sorted into your house and take place among them ! Abbott Hannah !" And just like that the sorting ceremony began with every first year being way less stressed that before knowing that they only had to put an old hat on their head for them to be sorted.

"Greengrass Daphne !" After some names and faces passing by, Daphne was finally called and she went to the stool and stood on it as the Hall had grown silent.

Everyone that was someone knew about her as the mysterious daughter of Lord Cyrus Greengrass and the first sister of the Head Prefect Benedict Greengrass of Slytherin House. The infamous Prefect was known for being very intelligent and the sharpest and most talented duelist of the school having won a competition between Beauxbatons, Durmstrang and Hogwarts last year that consisted of a dueling championship. However, he was also known to be one if the not the most fervent partisan of the pureblood supremacist faction, seeing everyone a pawn in a box of purity and power, even scaling the individuals inside the pureblood faction.

This of course meant that the sorting of another Greengrass had caught the interest of everyone, even the professors that were waiting to see where she would end and then decide whether she would actually be like her brother : A prodigy of magic, doubled by a racist and egocentric personality.

"_Well well, what do we have here… Another Greengrass, very well… As expected from you, hm… You want to prove yourself as a strong individual that can surpass her relatives and show your strength and valor to the world… You seek power and recognition… However you also like to gather a lot of knowledge like a good ravenclaw would do and… You are a vampire… Interesting, I don't remember when was the last time I sorted one of your race… But when we know how few of those of your race there still is, it is not unexpected… Indeed… Despite that, I think that your place has already be found… Don't you think so ?"_ Murmured the Sorting Hat in her mind for her and Lyria to hear.

"_If you say so… Slytherin then ?"_ Inquired Daphne that was chewing her cheek in apprehension of the answer.

"_Indeed"_ "Slytherin !" Screamed the Hat for everyone to hear his verdict. This made the whole table of Slytherin to applaud her with respect to welcome her among their ranks and for all the other tables to applaud her quickly and not loud enough to compete with the snakes.

"_Slytherin it is for me then… I told you so…"_ Sighed Daphne as she took place next to Tracey Davis, Millicent Bulstrode, and facing Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle that glared at her and groaned like guarding dogs.

"_Yes it seems like it… We will see how it goes for me…"_ As she said this, she went silent in her own mind and focused back on the sorting. When she heard Parkinson Pansy being sorted into Slytherin, she knew that her time under the spotlight was coming soon enough.

"Potter Lyria !" As if the transfiguration teacher had pronounced the name of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, the Hall once again became silent in less than a second with everyone almost getting up of their seat to have a glimpse of her.

The teachers all stopped to talk and looked at her with interest and respect for her achievement in the last war despite her not remembering anything. Lyria made eye contact with the Headmaster that smiled at her and nodded his head before she turned her back to him and sat on the stool now facing the students. From what she heard, Hufflepuff was a house that corresponded to her personality : hard-working, dedication and loyalty. That was some values that she cared dearly for, but she had to wait for the Sorting Hat to analyse her and get to his conclusions.

"_Well well… I was waiting to be put on your head for quite some time now Miss Potter… As expected you carry the heritage of your family… However… Oh but you are indeed more interesting than your ancestors, you are a true vampire… Well well back to your sorting… I see… You are hardworking and dedicated, that I can confirm you… However I also see a great desire to gather an immense knowledge, a true thirst for the unknown that you fear more than anything… There is also ambition, a lot of ambition… What struck me the most though is this unending pit of hatred and disgust in your mind, all of it, directed towards… The muggles…"_ At this moment the Hat stopped for some seconds as if he was thinking too deeply for Lyria to hear his thoughts.

"_Isn't it natural ? For me to hate them after what they did to me ?"_ Inquired the black haired girl, intrigued by the tone employed by the mind reading hat. Of course she hated them why would she not ? This didn't mean that she was abnormal in her opinion, quite the contrary.

"_You remembered me of someone I had to sort in the past… I can't reveal you anything about this person but the two of you are very alike… I have a dilemma Miss Potter… I can see you fare well in two different houses… Hufflepuff and Slytherin… In the former, you will most certainly become someone talented and acknowledged for your hard work and amazing achievements throughout your life… In the latter it is harder to predict what will you become but one thing is sure… Slytherin would give you the opportunity to become someone that will be remembered through the ages…"_ Declared the Hat surprising Lyria that never thought she would have different house in which she would fit in according to the Sorting Hat.

"_Hufflepuff ? I love herbology and animals so with professor Sprout as my Head of House, I will fulfill my interest for this subject won't I ? But I also love potion and professor Snape is the Head of House of Slytherin"_ Hesitated the Potter heiress making the Sorting Hat chuckle.

"_I see conflicts running through your mind young girl… I think I know what will be the best for you… I think it is time to return to your roots… Something tells me that I am trying to rewrite history here but I think that it would be best for you to experience this path in order for you to bloom into your best form… It's time for House Potter to make a comeback in the rank of…"_ "Slytherin !" Their discussion had lasted for less than ten second for those outside of Lyria's head and yet they never thought that this was going to happen.

Everyone was gobsmacked and nobody applauded. Every pair of eyes were stuck on her. A Potter in Slytherin ? The Girl-Who-Lived in the house of You-Know-Who ? The savior of the world in the pit of snakes that had followed the madman she had defeated when she was baby, the house of the dark wizards ?

Lyria was as surprised as them. She really thought that in the end the Sorting hat would have placed her in Hufflepuff. But no, this was not to be apparently, he had chosen to place her in Slytherin. Why ? Coming back to the roots of her ancestors ? Because she was a vampire ? Because she hated muggles ? Because she was similar to a certain someone she didn't know ? She had no answers to her questions and she searched from her eyes a form of reconfort inside the Hall that looked to be way bigger than a minute before.

As she was about to panic when professor McGonagall took the hat off of her head and asked her to go to her table, she heard someone clapping to congratulate her. She turned her head and saw that it was the headmaster that was looking at her with the same smile as before. This made her smile back, in the end, despite being the one that created her horrible past and all the torment she had to endure, he was the only one that had shown her sympathy, affection, support and respect. He was the one for whom she was doing all her efforts. To prove him that if she asked of him to make efforts to redeem for his mistakes of the past, she was doing some too to make him proud and show him that he was right to believe in her and in her family in the past. He may have been an enemy but for two years now he was her only ally with Daphne.

Speaking about Daphne, she went to the table of the snakes, her table, and saw Daphne smiling to her and clapping silently her hand to not attract attention to herself in the middle of angry and hateful looks that were sent in Lyria's direction.

"_Well done. Welcome to Slytherin too Lyri !"_ Cheered the blonde girl when Lyria sat next to her and smiled back despite still being the center of all the attention, even if the sorting had continue like nothing happened due to the strict and impassible attitude of the Deputy Headmistress.

"_Thank you… And where does this surname comes from ? I don't reckon you ever calling me like this ? Plus it's a bit lame to only get one letter off to make a surname…"_ Mocked her Lyria before Daphne got her tongue out at her and return her attention to the sorting.

As Zabini Blaise was sorted into Slytherin, it was finished and Dumbledore announced the beginning of the feast. In the end, she was quite content with how it resulted. Maybe someday she will understand what made the Sorting Hat think that she was better placed in Slytherin than in any other house. She smiled and digged in the many plates that were in front of her.


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's note :**

Hello everyone,

First of all I want to tell you that I'm really sorry that this chapter took so long to be released but I had a lot of assignments and also the end of term exams so I was really busy and had a lot to do in order to have a minimum of success there.

Well enough of this excuse rant, I hvae for you today a nice 16+K words chapter that describes the beginning of the first year. Also I want you to note that this year is one year before the real beginning of the original Harry Potter saga so some things about a teacher you will see are totally normal and not something I made up like I didn't know the story of Harry Potter.

I wanted this chapter to place a little bit of context and situational stuff that will help the story take roots and my alternate universe be shown to you. This Harry Potter universe is more based on how nobility really was towards those they considered lower beings than them and also the fact that they were in many fields better than the people because their lifestyle and background family history and genes were more advantageous. Yet there are exceptions like in the real world (Lily Potter for exemple to only state one).

I think I've talked enough for now so I will let you enjoy this long awaited chapter.

* * *

Chapter 6 : Acceptance, Integration and Rivalry

* * *

_1st of September - Hogwarts - Great Hall_

* * *

The sorting ceremony had ended as it began in an atmosphere soaked in joy and legerity as the many plates of food appeared in abundance on the five tables of the Great Hall. In the end the repartition had been perfectly equitable as each year, for from the forty first years that arrived tonight, twenty were boys and the other twenty were girls, with each house receiving five boys and girls.

Gryffindor obtained Seamus Finnigan, a little boy with brown hair and eyes that had a strong irish accent. Dean Thomas, a rather tall black boy with a sympathetic face. Neville Longbottom, a pureblood from a very old family of the light that looked a little too chubby for his age and that had an innocent and slightly frightened look on his face. Ronald Weasley, another pureblood from an old light family that had fallen into poverty after bad investments during the war against Grindelwald. Finally a boy named Alix Runcorn, he had an olive skin and a grecian nose with bright blue eyes, he seemed to be very dynamic, athletic and excited to be here, typical gryffindor behaviour.

On the girls' side, there were Parvati Patil, an indian looking girl with a brown complexion, a round nose, brown hair and eyes. Lavender Brown, a wavy blonde girl with gentle brown eyes that looked like an hyperactive bouncing on her chair. Hermione Granger, a bushy brown haired girl with prominent front teeth that gave her a slight resemblance with a rabbit. Sophie Roper, a very little girl with red hair, blue eyes and a kind smile that looked to be ever present on her face. Then was Sally Smith, a little round girl that possessed straight short blonde hair, brown eyes and round glasses that seemed way too big for her face.

Ravenclaw received Anthony Goldstein, a blond boy with peculiar grey eyes that seemed sharp and attentive to anything happening around him. Michael Corner, a black haired boy with brown eyes that seemed all the more normal. Terry Boot, a blond boy with gentle sea blue eyes that seemed to be very sympathetic and calm. Oliver Rivers, a brown haired boy with an air of know-it-all plastered on his face. To finish the boys was Stephen Cornfoot, a boy that seemed to be engulfed in his way too big robes for his tiny body and of which we could only see his hand and brown head.

The girls that integrated the house were Padma Patil, the twin of Parvati. Sue Li, an asian looking girl with short black hair and black slant eyes. Mandy Brocklehurst, a tall blonde girl with wavy hair and blue-green eyes. Lisa Turpin, a charming little girl with a bright smile, light brown hair that looked like chocolate under a certain light ray. Closing Ravenclaw's members was Isobel MacDougal, a redhead with amber eyes pureblood from the very influential MacDougal family that was known to be one of the richest family of the wizarding world for their parts in many firms of mode and luxury products.

On their part, Hufflepuff obtained Ernest Macmillan, a light blond boy with hazel eyes coming from a family that was part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight of Great Britain. Justin Finch-Fletchley, a brown haired boy with light brown eyes and that looked to be pretty wealthy despite not being from a family that Lyria knew. Wayne Hopkins, he had brown hair and was the son of an auror that was known for his exploits during the war alongside Alastor Moody. Finally, Roger Malone and Kevin Entwhistle, that had brown eyes and hair and that seemed to be forgettable and without much importance.

This year, the girls of Hufflepuff seemed to come from great families as there were Susan bones, a chubby redhead that was the niece of Amelia Bones chief of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement (DMLE). Hannah Abbott, a cute blonde girl with a round face and bright blue eyes that was the daughter of two aurors from the Sacred Twenty-Eight too. Megan Jones, a black haired girl that looked athletic who was the daughter of Gwenog Jones the Holyhead Harpies' Captain. Lily Moon, was a black haired girl with nearly transparent eyes and that had a strange aura around her, she a member of the Moon Clan that was a very old family that was known for their many discoveries in the mind arts and alchemy throughout the history. In the end was Sally-Anne Perks, an Irish pureblood girl with flamboyant red hair and forest green eyes.

To end her analysis of the sorting ceremony, Lyria turned her head to her own table and watched her housemates. There were the already encountered Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle that were coming from very powerful, old and wealthy pureblood families with strong ties to the dark arts. With them among the boys of Slytherin house was Theodore Nott Junior, a lanky black haired boy with sharp eyes and cheekbones that looked like he was snobbing them all being the son of the manufacture mania Theodore Nott Senior. And to complete Slytherin's boys was Blaise Zabini the only other black child of this year, he had very short wavy black hair, very smooth lines that made him quite handsome even for his age, bright white teeth that shined and helped put his smile in an even better light, alongside blazing black eye. His family was the center of the gossip for years as her beautiful mother was known as the black widow because of the fact that she remarried seven times in a ten years span of time.

For the girls of the Snake's house, there was Pansy Parkinson, a girl with short black hair that had a dog like face with a little round nose, malevolent little eyes and a constant frown on her features. Millicent Bulstrode, a girl with hazel eyes and brown hair that had a physical appearance close to this of Crabbe and Goyle. With herself and Daphne, there only was one girl that stayed to be looked at : Tracey Davis. The girl came from a very well-known family of pureblood that never hid their dark and dangerous penchant, only proving it to the entire world when her two parents ended up being locked up in the higher levels of Azkaban next to Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange, for their inhuman crimes within the Dark Lord's rank. She never knew much her parent for she had been only four months old when her parents were arrested and sent to Azkaban, only getting to see them once a year. However she was the target of the most unbearable and strong discrimination that could be imagined from the whole society. Despite all this nothing on her showed any malevolent nature as she was a perfectly normal little girl with blood red hair, sapphire blue eyes and a skin nearly as white as Lyria's, that was a vampire.

In the end, Lyria found this girl fascinating for the aura of calm that emanated from the girl that seemed to look straight at her plate with a very straight posture, impeccable manners and a sort of protecting veil from everything coming from the outside. She was sitting on the right side of Daphne whereas Lyria was on her left side.

"_Found something interesting ?"_ Asked Daphne with a smile on her lips. "_I think it would be better not to get to close to her if you don't want too much unwanted attention towards you. She may be a very nice girl, this doesn't change the fact that she is still wearing the invisible weight of her parent's mistakes."_

"_Yeah well yours weren't better if you ask me…"_ Argued Lyria before she apologised under the death glare that Daphne sent her way.

"_Maybe but at least they managed not to get caught and kept a low profile when the situation required such an attitude. And while I don't care about what you say about my father I would like you not to put my mother in the same bag !"_ Fumed the blonde vampire that ate what was in her plate with a renewed fervor.

"_Sorry, sorry ! I wasn't trying to antagonize your mother there, I was just saying that you can't judge someone on their parent's mistakes, can we ?"_ Inquired Lyria as she nudged her elbow into Daphne's left ribs in order to obtain a response from the unresponsive girl.

"_Yeah well, you can try whatever you want but the moment you see that this is a dead cause, we stop right away to talk to her, understood ?"_ Proposed the Greengrass girl.

"_Yes chief Greengrass !"_ Mocked her Lyria as she tapped on Tracey's shoulder past Daphne, getting the attention of the girl that seemed to be surprised for a fraction of second to have someone wanting something from her.

"Yes ? What do you want ?" She asked in sweet voice that seemed well too sympathetic to be genuine.

"Your name is Tracey Davis right ? I'd like to get to know you a little bit more if it's ok with you ?" Began Lyria to ammorce the discussion only to be bashed right away.

"I am not interested in making discussion with you and even less getting to know you Potter. If this was all I will return to my food." Just like that, in three seconds, she had rejected Lyria politely yet fiercely and closed all hope of discussion for the time being and maybe longer than just one day for what it seemed.

"_I think this has the merit to be pretty clear and straight."_ Chuckled Daphne in their heads getting this time on the other end of a death glare that was far more affraying than hers because of Lyria's shining cold emerald eyes that looked just like the spell of death. Daphne gulped and apologised for the bad joke.

"_I'm not done trying… This may be the end for tonight's try but I'm sure that this girl and I can be very good friends."_ Sighed Lyria after a moment under the interrogating look of the blonde haired witch that seemed to be a bit.

"_Well for the moment she doesn't care about you so just focus on your plate, would you ?"_ Sighed Daphne too as she pointed at her plate with her fork.

"_Yes Mom…"_ This had the escompted effect to exasperate Daphne but the blonde girl said nothing and just applied her own advice and ate with gusto.

After half an hour of feast, the Headmaster got up and went to his lectern, that had the form of a golden phoenix, and cleared his throat to have the attention of everyone as the plates disappeared from the tables and the dishes too. He looked at them for an instant as their were all giving him their full attention, then he smiled at them and opened his arms as wide as he could and began his little speech.

"Welcome to our first years and welcome back to our older students. It is always a pleasure to have you back into this castle that is your second house. I'd like to make a few announcements about this year, as each year I want to remind you all that the dark forest is forbidden of entry to anyone that is not a professor." When he said that he looked at two redhead twins in particular that she didn't know and then he smiled and passed to another part of his speech essentially consisting of him reminding that some random stuff was forbidden this year, along using magic in the corridors when not having a permission from a professor. "I also want to tell you that this year will be the second year that the dueling club has opened back at Hogwarts and that accounting to this year, will be a class that every students will have to take for at least one semester each year." At this, many students applauded because many of them couldn't make it into the limited places proposed by the school into the dueling club. Others were not as pleased as it would mean a supplementary class to take, so less time for others and also a new evaluation one semester each year, one where pure knowledge wouldn't help them get a good mark.

"Well well, I also wanted to tell you that three more subjects will be added to the choice of electives in third year which are : Foreign/Race Languages, Domestic Magic and finally Student Pen Pal program. The last one consist basically of giving you the opportunity to be in contact with another student of your age from another Magical school in the world in order for you to open your eyes to the world outside Great Britain. For those that are in the Newts year, new electives subjects will be added only for the best of you so work well and show by your results and hard work that you deserve your place in one of them : Healing Arts, Basic Elemental Magic, Basic Runic Magic, Theory of Magic, Magical Law and the last one will only be put into effect next year and is only up to the final year student : Student Exchange Program. This means that some of you will have the opportunity to stay one year in another school and learn there to finish your education only coming back at the end of the year to pass your Newts." With this the Headmaster announced that this year was the host of many new possibilities and changes in the school and that the school was tending to show to the world that still deserved the title of best school of witchcraft and wizardry of the world.

As he finished his speech, he dismissed them all and bid them a good night and a good year. At this moment, everyone got up and applauded before all the older students went to the common room of their house. The first year, followed a boy and a girl from their house that were the prefects and thus, the one that were charged to teach them everything they needed to know about their house, how to go to the common room, how to access it, what they could do inside and outside it, how they should behave in public, etc…

"My name is Andrew Dolohov and this is Elisabeth Rosier, we are the prefects of Slytherin and we are in fifth year. Follow us we will lead you to our common room. You will never tell anyone where it is and you will never let anyone outside of Slytherin in the common room, is it clear ?" Barked the tall boy with broad shoulders, huge jaw and cold as ice hazel eyes. He was very intimidating to say the least and he was sure to make them know not to go against his instructions.

"You will soon understand that our noble house is being ostracized by the other three because of some stereotypes that are stuck on us so you will make sure to show a united front against the others in front anyone that is not from Slytherin despite your relation inside the common room. We need to show everyone that they aren't above us and that they can't reach us with their little play. We are smarter, stronger and more resourceful than the all of them together and you will make sure to continue showing it to them, understood ?" Followed the skinny and rather tall blonde girl that was their prefect alongside Andrew. She had a gaze of steel that nothing seemed to be able to break it. Once again, they all nodded not wanting to contrary her.

"Okay, good. We are entering the dungeons. The common room is in one of the deepest part of them. Make sure to remember the way there because we won't show it to you anymore after today so make sure to memorise the corridors." After he said that they began to go down and down in the dungeons going deeper into the core of Hogwarts turning right then right again then passing two strange looking door with strange liquid sounds leaking from them and then left, followed by down and right then left after a statute and finally they arrived in front of a wall with small and hardly visible snake.

"Now you will simply have to remember that our house is the purest and most noble of the four and on this none of us can lie it is in our blood." As she said that, Rosier took her wand out and made herself bleed a little bit on one of her inches and put her blood on the snake saying : "Pure of blood forever." As she said this, the wall glowed a green light from the spaces between the stones and then, the serpent began to grow and as he did that, an archway was created and let them enter the common room. When they all entered, Lyria asked a question.

"Excuse me but I have a question." She said addressing the two prefects that looked at her one with a intrigued look and the other with disdain.

"What is it Potter ? Is it not good enough for your heroic little personna ?" Spat Dolohov as he towered her with his huge and muscular body trying to intimidate her which only partially worked as Lyria had bad memories with huge people towering her and beating her to make her comply.

"No… No it's not that… It's just that how am I going to enter the common room alone ?" She just asked under the confused gaze of Rosier that wasn't convinced about the attitude of Dolohov towards a first year, be it Potter or not.

"What's the problem with you entering alone ? Do you need someone to open the door for you like a little princess ? Maybe you want a lackey here ?" Continued the brown haired prefect with even more disdain and anger in his voice. He didn't like her at all, she was the cause of the situation in which his family found itself in now : disgrace.

"Calm down Dolohov, I think I know the problem here. You wonder how a halfblood like you can enter the room when the password and the door only answers to pureblood ?" Lyria simply nodded as everyone in her year looked at her in disgust, all but Daphne that tried to comfort Lyria via their link sending her positive encouragement. "Well it's very simple, you may be a Halfblood but now that you are in Slytherin it means that the Sorting Hat deemed you worthy of our house despite the dirtiness of your blood. Thus you are being seen as pure of blood by the door. But let it be clear for you Potter, it doesn't change your status here, you still are underneath us Pureblood by fact, is it clear ?"

"Yes Prefect Rosier, it's clear." As she said that, Lyria kept her anger at bay and did not let it show on her face or in her voice but deep down, she was boiling, ready to show them all that she was better than the vast majority of them. She didn't know if she would be better than them but she felt that somehow, she was promised for more than the prefect gave her credit for. Only Daphne felt this emotions and she did nothing to calm her.

"_Don't worry, keep your head low until we have what we need to correct them all. I may be a pureblood and very proud to be one, but you pass before the other purebloods in my agenda. I'm on your side never forget that Lyri."_ She just said.

"_Thank you Daph. One day I will show them. For now I can do nothing but shut up and obey. Sometimes it's better to take a step back to better jump later."_ Agreed Lyria as she lowered her head in front of the prefects.

"Okay now in line the all of you, Professor Snape will soon arrive to make his speech and give you your living quarters and who you will be with in them along your timetables and the schedules of the breakfast, lunch and dinner." Just as if they were cadets in the military obeying their major, they all formed a line and waited for the arrival of their Head of House that came in seconds after as if saying his name had summoned him.

When he entered the room, his cloak swirled around in a way that could only be achieved through hours of practice. He stopped right in front of them with scowl on his face as he looked at each of them separately for one or two second before passing to the next new snake addition. When his eyes fell on Draco a little smile made his way on his face and he nodded to the blond boy that smirked at this and nodded too. Then he groaned as his eyes fixed Crabbe and Goyle, probably having reached the same conclusion as Daphne and Lyria that he had just won a pair of gorillas, after all like father, like son.

He stared at them no longer than a second and passed to Daphne on who he stopped longer than any other before. He looked at her right in the eyes and seemed to use legilimency, remarked Lyria that had on multiple occasion the possibility to observe the Headmaster using this strange and powerful branch of Magic. However, her Head of House seemed to stop rather quickly and he was eyeing carefully Daphne that just stayed impassible under his gaze.

"Your family is quite a strange one Miss Greengrass… I assume that your father and mother are doing well, aren't they ?" Inquired Snape with his deep and slow voice.

"You assumed correctly Sir, they are doing fine. My mother sends you her regards and hope that you will take good care of me for the next eight years in this castle." Answered Daphne as she bowed a little bit and repeated the exact same words that her mother told her to transmit to her future Head of House.

"You will be able to reassure your mother in your next letter then." As he said that, he walked in front the last one of his snakes : Lyria Potter. At this moment his face distorted into one of utter disgust and rejection, before turning into a look of glee and excitation.

"Well well, our new celebrity. Tell us Miss Potter how did you pulled out this joke of yours ?" Asked Snape derisively.

"I beg your pardon Sir ? What joke are you talking about ?" Shivered Lyria as she said that under the furious yet amused gaze of Severus Snape.

"Don't play the idiot with me ! Like father, like daughter it seems… How disappointing… You have nothing to do in here Miss Potter. You should be with the ones like you, little arrogant hypocrites in Gryffindor… I expect nothing from you but disappointment and problems… If I ever hear of any mischief from you Miss Potter, you can be sure that I won't hesitate to send you back right from where you come. Am I clear ?" Threatened her Head of House showing his total disapproval of her being in his house because of some old rivalry with her father it seemed and also because he thought her to be a good for nothing.

This only managed to fuel more her past anger towards those that looked down on her in her house even with her just being one of them for less than two hours. She was boiling in the inside, but she remembered what Headmaster Dumbledore told her before the beginning of the year : "_Don't listen to others that try to belittle you, don't show them that they affect you for words hold little power compared to actions. Wait for them to think that you are at your lowest point and then and only then, show them what is your real worth. This is what Charlus Potter told me before he made it to the position of Minister for Magic when everyone belittled him months ago for his not glorious enough feats of magic. I know that you have what is necessary in you to do great things and never let anyone makes you believe otherwise."_ As she heard this words in her head she kept her anger at bay and her foul words to herself and just nodded her head.

"Yes Sir, clear as water." Just said Lyria with her head low, making Snape smile, proud to have broken a ten years old girl that he already despised more than anyone for the simple fact that she was the living proof of Lily and James Potter's love. Everytime he looked at her it felt as if James Potter was spitting in his face and mocking him from his grave.

"Good now let me explain you how you will proceed this year…"

Then began a long monologue where he told them everything that they could and couldn't do, when they could eat, how they should behave outside of the common room and inside, what he expected of them in every class they were taking for the eight years to come. All in all it was pretty boring and humiliating for Lyria that was on the receiving end of many side remarks. In the end he assignated them their room and their partners in them and this, was the only good part of the evening.

"Mister Nott and Mister Zabini will share the first room of the boys' first year corridor, then Mister Crabbe and Mister Goyle will have the second and Mister Malefoy will have the single room. Miss Parkinson and Miss Bulstrode will have the first shared room, Miss Davis and Miss Potter will have the second and Miss Greengrass will have the single female room." As he said that, he had a malevolent look on his face as he looked at Lyria and thought : "_Sharing the room with the Davis' daughter will be your punishment for being in this house. From what I've heard she is as unstable as her parents, and this is not pretty to see from what I've seen in the past. Good luck and try to survive at least one night with someone unstable that lost the opportunity to live with her parents because of you."_ With this, he smirked and went out of the common room to his private quarters proud of himself and satisfied of his machinations to make Potter's life as unbearable here as possible.

"You've heard what professor Snape said so go to your rooms, your belongings have already been put inside. Good night and remember to be in time for breakfast if you don't want to experiment the fury of our Head of House." The prefects went farther in the common room to join their year mates inside the spacious and rich living room that had a magnificent glass curved ceiling, that showed the lake from the bottom, and very expensive furnitures.

The first years obeyed this one order and went for the corridor that had been pointed to them earlier. Draco was leading the way as if he owned the place and opened the door to the first year corridor that had two doors, one leading to the girl's side and the other leading to the boy's side. They separated in two groups then and entered their respective areas of life.

Lyria and Daphne discovered the girl's dorm living room that was a circular one two steps lower into the ground with a glass column in the middle of the circle of couches and sofas were hot water was ascending into the lake with bubbles inside of it. The living room was rounded by a little walkway that was giving access to three doors spaced by 120 degrees each. On the doors was written the names of the owners and the year of entry and the year of graduation of those. This meant that they were going to keep these rooms for the next eight years and that this corridor that was this of the first year this year, was going to become this of the second year and so on and so forth as they grow up.

"_Well I will go into my room and order in a little bit then we can hang out for some time before going to bed as tomorrow is Sunday we don't have class."_ Proposed Daphne as she nudged Lyria with her shoulder. She just nodded her approval and they came into their own room.

"_Let's do that."_ As she said that, she opened her door and closed it once inside. She saw that Tracey was already there getting her stuff out of her suitcase and pilling them into her wardrobe.

"I've chosen the bed on this side of the room. Yours is there then. I prefer to be close to the door." Lyria was a bit surprised that the cold girl even took the time to justify the fact that she already had decided which bed was hers before they could choose together.

"Ok no problem." Lyria really had no issue with not choosing such a petty detail and she did not mind at all if she was close to the door or not.

She noticed that it was a common feature to every room of the Slytherin quarters to have a glass dome-like ceiling giving a view to the lake and she assumed it was because they thought it to be good to have access to the exterior by some sort of visual way. In the end it changed nothing to the fact that the light was artificial and that they had no possibility to change the air of the room via a window, because they had none and also because the air was constantly, through a magical aeration system, renewed.

The room was made in a curved oval shape, with a queen sized bed with curtain on each extremity of the room and big wardrobe on one side of it and a beautiful desk on the other side. In the middle of the room was a little fireplace and two armchair with small round low table. Adjacent to the room was a small bathroom that was more than big enough for two girls equipped with two full size glass, two sink and two shower. It was decorated in green, silver and sparks of turquoise to lighten up the rooms' colors. All in all it was very pretty but very Slytherin-ish too, with snakes carved into every piece of furniture, into the walls, on the arms of the armchairs, on the vases etc.

"Well I will go hang out with Daphne a bit, do you want to come ?" Tried Lyria after having organised everything she had brought into her wardrobe and bathroom.

"No." This was the only reply she got before the girl returned to her book. The black haired vampire shrugged it off and got out of the room.

_"Daph ? You coming ?"_ Yawned Lyria as she let herself fall on one of the sofas.

_"Yes I just have to find my slippers and I come… Ah ! Here they are."_ As she said that, she came out of her room and joined Lyria on the sofa.

_"You know I was wondering if we should be more careful about our telepathy thing …"_

_"Huh ? Why do you say that ? Is it obvious that we can communicate without talking to each other ?"_ Inquired the blonde ?

_"I don't know but when we were eating, Tracey looked at us strangely when we were chatting and you kept rolling your eyes at me… And just minutes before when I mentioned hanging out with you she seemed suspicious that you would come and all… I think she suspect something…"_ Sighed the Girl-who-lived.

_"Well… Better be careful from now on then… To be fair it still not is an automatism to talk to you with my voice and listen to yours… Speaking like that with you feels way more natural. In some way it is."_

_"I know but we need to be careful about it. I don't want anyone bragging around our secret like that. The Headmaster told me it was super super rare to be able to do this. Rare abilities never are lightly taken by those that strive to obtain or study them…"_ "And I quite like your voice to be honest" She chuckled as she played with her hair trying to make a braid but miserably failing to do so.

"Thanks Lyri. Now now turn your back to me. I'll braid your hair before you damage them. Remember the day you worked in you garden so long with your hair unattached that they had dirt stuck on them so hard that you nearly tore your hair apart in the shower !" At that Daphne lost it and openly laughed at Lyria's expand that was now pouting at her friend. At some point she agreed to turn hr back to Daphne and let her have her way with her long night black locks.

"You weren't supposed to look at me this day ! You were supposed to be occupied painting with you mother ! I think it only proves how much attention you pay to your mother's lesson…" If Daphne was going to mock her she would fight back for sure.

"How come you two already know each other so well ? I hear Potter was supposed to lived with her muggle relatives by my father. Maybe your family is a muggle lover behind the scene Greengrass. What a disgrace it would be if it was to be known…" Resounded the insufferable voice of Pansy in their little common room. At that Daphne looked up and smiled.

"Not as much as the rumours of your father enjoying the pleasures of his muggle associates' comfort woman." This lashes through the air with such force that Pansy was gobsmacked and outraged by such accusations. "Now now, if we stay civilised though I would respond to you that Lyria lives at her parents manor for more than two years now because of a disastrous accident that happened at her relatives house. To ensure her security the Headmaster made her come back to her ancestors house and since then we happen to have become very good friends."

"This is not where you want to be Greengrass, staying aside a Half-Blood like her when you could hangout with proper Pureblood is a poor decision. You can always come back to your sense when you finally see your mistake." After that the annoying girl that was Parkinson went back to her room proud of herself as she saw the low head of Lyria.

"Hey hey ! Cheer up Lyri, don't listen to her, you are way more interesting, intelligent and beautiful than her, don't let her belittle you like that. You should have put her back in her place like you did with Malfoy this afternoon when he bullied me." As to enforce her point, she kissed the top of her black hair and finished her two braids for her really fast in order to have Lyria face her.

"Daph… Do you think I am abnormal ? I say that because… Because either people see me as a freak, a monster, a dirty half-blood or they see me as the Girl-who-lived, the vanquished of Voldemort, the saviors of the world. There is no one aside from you and the Headmaster to see me as Lyria Potter… I wondered if I was abnormal in some way…" Sighed Lyria as she put her head on Daphne's shoulder. The latter began to stroke her hair gently for a moment.

"I think you are totally normal it's just that people can't take away what you have accomplished apart from you before looking at you… However I said normal but it's true that you are abnormal in some way !" She exclaimed as she wore a smile on her face looking Lyria that eyed her suspicious.

"What is it this time ?"

"Well loving plants and potions more than human beings in kind of weird !" Chuckled Daphne before the two of them began a pillow fight with what they had in reach.

This went for twenty minutes before they both said goodnight to each other and went to bed in their own respective bedroom.

* * *

_Monday 3rd of September - Great Hall_

* * *

Daphne and Lyria just finished eating among their housemates when professor Snape came to give them all their timetables making Lyria mentally swear.

_"What is it ?"_ Asked Daphne that didn't see what was the problem of their time table.

_"We have Potions first TWO HOURS WITH SNAPE !"_

_"From someone that loved potion more that nearly anything in the world not three days ago this is little bit comical, isn't it ?"_ Joked the golden eyed girl.

_"Very funny this is not the potions themselves I hate this is the man teaching them…"_

_"Well it can't be that bad in class, can it ?"_

_"It would be too simple… I believe he is as much if a jerk in class than he is as a Head of House."_ Complained Lyria before she got up and took her bag to head to the dungeons where they had class followed by Daphne that sighed at Lyria's pessimism.

_"Yeah yeah as you say."_ When they arrived in front of the door of the potion classroom, they were greeted by the nasty face of Professor Snape that was in the process of glaring at Lyria for the sole reason of being here.

"Can we go in, Sir ?" Asked Daphne before obtaining a nod from the Potion master. Lyria entered right away but Daphne felt a hand on her shoulder stopping her in her march.

"I would suggest you not to get to close to miss Potter, miss Greengrass, her future is not very bright from where I stand. It would bring you nothing but disappointment and problems if you stay by her side"

"You may be right professor but Lyria and I already are very good friends for a long time now and I don't intend to end my friendship when I see no reason to do so. May I ?" She asked to enter once again and Snape let go of her with a sigh of resignation in front of what he considered a waste of her potential.

"What did this greasy bastard wanted from you Daph ?" Asked as she already had placed everything she needed on her table not having paid attention Daphne's side of her mind.

"He wanted me to stay away from you because from his where he was standing your future did not seem bright enough for him and that you would be bring me nothing but problems and disappointment. That's what he said word for word. So now that this is out of the way we can maybe hope to start potions when the griffs come around." Told her Daphne before taking out her own stuff.

After five minutes all the gryffindors came in and filled the remaining seats of the potion lab allowing Snape to make his grand entrance. Bursting through the door making as much sound as possible when he made the door collapse in her frame, clapping his shoes on the cold stone floor to intimidate the little and afraid first years that they were, and making his robes float behind him as he stopped in front of his desk. He shoved his hand inside his cloak and began to speak in a low yet clear voice that dared anyone to speak and cover the sound of his voice for him to lash on.

"There will be not such thing as wand movements and foolish incantations in this class. I don't expect many of you to appreciate and understand the subtle and delicate art of potion making. However for those select few that possess the predisposition… i can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory and even put a stopper in death. Then again maybe some of you have come to Hogwarts in possession of abilities so formidable that you feel confident enough to not pay attention ! Miss Potter … Our new celebrity this year … Tell me, what would I get if I added a powder of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood ?" He asked Lyria that had just turned her head for a second to readjust her hair in order to not have them in the way.

"It would make one of the most powerful sleeping potion in the world known as Draught of the living Death, Sir." Answered correctly Lyria that was glad that in her misfortune of having Snape try to harass her in class, it could result in her potentially getting in his good grace with her advanced knowledge in potion.

"True. But where would you go if I asked you to go find a bezoar ?" Pushed further the Potion Master to try and have her fail.

"In the stomach of a goat, Sir." Once again simply replied Lyria, that did not wanted to spill her knowledge and pass for a know-it-all in front of him. She remembered that overwhelming people with knowledge instead of just sticking to what the question was for always ended up in being ostracised or hated. She made sure not to make this mistake there.

"Yes. And what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane ?" Said the professor that had grown less and less virulent during his little interrogation, looking at her with a strange look in his eyes.

"Nothing Sir, they are the same." Answered the Potter heiress as she looked right into the eyes of Snape that didn't even flinched a little bit at the coldness he found in those two familiar orbs that were stuck on him.

"Correct, Miss Potter. Fifteen points to Slytherin. Why aren't you all noting this down ! Potter you will stay at the end of class for a minute." Ordered the Head of her house.

"Yes, Sir." Shrugged Lyria that knew that she was not going to enjoy this moment with a man she already hate despite having seen him only for a few minutes now.

"Today we will talk about …" Just like this the long class began with only theoretical stuff that Lyria already knew by heart because of her far advanced knowledge of Potion making.

She thought herself to be above average in the notions that were taught in third year in potions, however, when it came to other class, she feared to be less than glorious, like charm were she didn't even knew what it was about and frankly didn't cared so much, because she deemed it unworthy of her time and attention.

At the end of the class she put her things back into her bag and nodded to Daphne that told her that she would be waiting by the door for her in their head. As she had filled her bag with her quill and parchment, she noticed that everyone had came out already but a fellow gryffindor with bushy brown hair that she remembered to be : Hermione Granger. The girl had put her hand up for the three questions of Snape and for the rest of the lesson, only to be ignored for the entirety of the class.

She didn't seemed to be defeated though as she had a smile on her face and when she headed back to the corridors, she smiled a bit at her and flew past her just after that. Lyria came closer to the desk where her professor was sitting with his folder hands resting on the table and his gaze upon her, calculating.

"What was it that you wanted to tell me at the beginning of the lesson Professor Snape ?" inquired Lyria with the respect she had to show to him for his position.

"It seems that I was wrong about you Miss Potter, at least partially. Maybe there is more of your mother in you that there is of your father. You've shown to have great dispositions and interest in the noble art of potion making. To be honest with you, I don't like you Miss Potter but it seems like we can come to some sort of agreement. If you swear to be the perfect student in my class and be the perfect slytherin outside of it then I will let you be and show total indifference towards you. This seems like a fair deal isn't ?" Proposed the black haired man that was her head of house and the man that had the power to make her life a living hell.

"Why do you propose me such a deal ? It seems like a lot of effort on your part and very little on mine… There is something that I don't understand with this deal because the feelings are mutual… What do you gain from it ?" Inquired Lyria not convinced at all by this little bargaining process.

"I gain the opportunity to have a potential brilliant apprentice in potions along with the knowledge that another calamity such as James Potter has been kept away from this castle. Moreover I know that my help won't be needed so much to make your life very unpleasant in House Slytherin.

"Thank you so much for your consideration of my well being in your house professor. I…" Began slowly Lyria before she heard a voice in her head scowling her.

_"Don't you dare begin this sentence Lyria Potter ! Accept his deal this instant and stop being so proud and foolish… You don't want him as your enemy trust me… My mother never compliment anyone lightly and from the very few that she named with a little bit of respect, Snape was part of them… so now accept his deal and get out of here, we have charms in a minute !"_ Fumed Daphne that was pacing outside of the classroom angry at her friend's attitude.

_"Sorry…"_ Mumbled Lyria.

"Do we have a deal ?" Bargained the teacher, giving Lyria the fairest deal she had ever received in her whole life but she was not one to give her trust easily, to give a chance to anyone. She would not change her mind about the greasy old bat but she was ready to accept a peaceful life for eight years in exchange for being the perfect student in his class.

"Yes Sir, we have a deal" Agreed Lyria as she nodded distrust in her voice.

"Good, now go I have work to do and you class to attend Miss Potter." Dismissed her the master of potions.

"Of course Sir."

"If you had refused his offer I would have screamed at you. You know that, don't you ?" Said Daphne as she began to March in front of Lyria unhappy about having to mother her friend into taking the good decisions in her place.

"Of course I know, do you think I would have accepted this deal if I didn't know that you would be all angry and annoyed at me afterwards…" Sighed the Potter heiress with an air of defeat in ber voice.

"Lyri you need to understand that sometimes you have to turn your back on certain beliefs of yours to better live and embrace them later… What would you do if I wasn't there huh ?" Pointed Daphne at her as she intertwined one of her arm in one of Lyria to walk alongside her.

"I don't know… I would live in my manor, taking care of Ash, Arcturus, my plants, the grounds and maybe enjoy life inside my walls and die alone, I presume." Smiled Lyria to her only friend that gave her a one arm hug for that.

They arrived like that in the class of the diminutive professor that was their charm master : Professor Flitwick, Head of House Ravenclaw. Of course they were late… But the sympathetic teacher let them go unpunished with only a small warning for the next time with all the kindness of the professor.

Despite Lyria not having any interest in charms, she was not one to not pay attention in the class of such a nice and happy teacher that had only their best interest at mind and that love so much his subject. He was a very good teacher to say the least and he managed to make his class entertaining despite talking for two hours about the theory behind the levitation spell.

Daphne on her part, was captivated by the subject and shew a rapt interest for it. She was the most attentive in the classroom and she was noting down everything that the professor said at an unmatched speed that put Lyria in awe. They were still able to chat idly during the class about this or that thing that said Flitwick during a long monologue.

In the end, Lyria found the subject passable in terms of interest she had for it and Daphne was conquered by the little professor and his subject that was amazingly interesting and easily captivating to take Daphne's words. At this Lyria rolled her eyes and led the blond vampire to the great hall in order to get something in their hungry stomach.

_"I tell you Lyria, charms are amazing, did you heard all the things you can do with them once you get to a good level ? You can even enchant things for them to become alive or place trap spell to protect your home or even make something unaffected by fire or water !"_ Said Daphne as they were eating their lunch at one end of the slytherin table.

_"Daph… I think I've understood by now how much credit you give to charms thank you."_ Smiled Lyria as she stopped the blonde in her tirade.

_"Oh sorry Lyri… Hum. What do we have this afternoon ? Oh Transfiguration… I hope old McGonagall will be more sympathetic with us than she was with my brother and his year mates in first year."_ As she said she sighed getting the attention of Pansy that was looking at the two of them strangely since Saturday's evening.

"What is it Daphne ?" Asked Lyria to try and get the suspicious Parkinson heiress to stop looking at them as if she knew something was amiss.

"We have transfiguration this afternoon and from what I heard from my brother the old McGonagall is from far not the coolest teacher we have…" Followed Daphne that understood the move of Lyria.

"Well what did you expect from the Head of house of those filthy lions, she could only be nasty towards us !" Puffed Pansy with a strong nod of Millicent as a back up.

"Why do you care if she is cool or not ? It won't change anything to the situation whether we like her or not… Can you stop complaining now ?" Simply said Tracey as she wiped her mouth with her napkin.

"Still we can express our discontent in regard of her attitude, can't we ? Or are you going to continue playing the cold persona with us for the rest of the year ? I'm tired of your haughty attitude towards us ! Don't forget your place in this house Davis !" As she said that, Tracey gave her a death glare and shut up for the moment but in her eyes lingered dark intentions.

"Don't mind her Pansy, she will learn sooner or later who she needs to respects if she wants to keep a somewhat safe lifestyle in our house." Spatted Draco as he came by flanked by his two goons Crabbe and Goyle.

"Oh Draco ! Of course you're right as always !" Fastly agreed Pansy that had clearly shown since saturday that she was head over heels for the Malfoy heir, doing everything to get some attention and backing up everything that Draco said.

"That's right. Well come on we have to go to transfiguration, the lesson starts in ten minutes." After he said that, Pansy nearly jumped from her siege to follow them and as he fast as he came he was gone from their side of the table. Daphne sighed and pushed her food away from her.

"_This guy has the talent to get on my nerves in less than a minute… I swear if there was a competition about unnerving people he would be winning it each year."_ As she said this she got up followed by Lyria that nodded and at her statement and took both of their bags and gave Daphne her's as they followed from afar their housemates.

"_This afternoon is going to be very long…" Lyria sighed too._

* * *

_Two hours later - Transfiguration classroom_

* * *

"End of the class, I want you all to write ten inches of parchment on the biography of a great transfiguration master and research what make him or her so well known. Now you can all go." Said professor McGonagall as she sat back at her desk and began to write on some parchment that seemed to look like copies of holidays homework from those that were in the upper years. She looked up once again as she caught a glimpse of Lyria and Daphne getting out of the class and exclaimed. "Miss Potter ! A moment please."

Just like that, Lyria felt like she was going to take her hair off. She came back into the class full of exasperation at all the unwanted attention that she got from every teacher so far in just one day, all of them wanting to have a word with her at the end of each class. She felt like she was some sort of walking diamond that everyone wanted to have a good look at.

"Yes professor McGonagall ?" She asked once she got in front of the desk of the stern looking scottish old witch. She took one strand of her hair that had been getting in front her left eye and put it back behind her ear.

"I haven't got the chance to see you since the sorting. I must admit that it doesn't surprise me to see you end up in Slytherin. I hope that you won't let down the expectations of professor Dumbledore in the future Miss Potter." Minerva admitted her distrust of Lyria's frequentation in the house of the snakes as she looked past her towards Daphne that was waiting by the door.

"_Doesn't she know how much I loathe her or is she trying to push me to act harshly towards her in order to prove her point that I do not deserve the Headmaster's trust and support ?"_ "Yes professor I know that Headmaster Dumbledore expect great many things from me and I won't deceive him. Is that all professor ?"

"Yes this was all, you can go now." Dismissed her the mistress of transfiguration. Once Lyria was out of sight and far enough for her not to her footsteps, she frowned and shook slightly her head.

She opened a drawer of her desk and got a picture of the old members of the order of the phoenix and looked at it for some time, at two person in particular, a man with unruly black hair, round glasses, amazingly good looks and a charming smile on his face, wearing the scarlet uniform of the aurors and the woman that was by his side, that had mahogany red hair, bright green eyes, many beautiful freckles on her face and a dashing smile reserved to the man by her side. These two people were for sure two of the most popular wizard of the century for having both fought three times the most powerful and feared Dark Lord of all times and survived it.

However, they had the misfortune to have a daughter born at the end of the seventh month and thus fulfilling all the requirements of a certain prophecy that linked their daughter to the Dark Lord himself, leading to their fourth and last encounter with Lord Voldemort and their death. They were two of the most wonderful people she ever had the chance to meet and two incredible wizards that let their mark on the wizarding history and gave them the child that freed their world of the iminent desolation that was coming their way with Voldemort rising to power.

Though, despite all their qualities, their prowess and accomplishments, they only left behind them one thing : their daughter. None of them had enough time to put their genius on paper and help their society advance into a new era of prosperity for they died too young and in the middle of a raging war. Their only legacy lied in the form a little black haired girl with deathly green eyes that were constantly glowing with a sickenly aura. Her looks were undoubtedly astonishing carrying the memory of her parents along the great intellect that she possessed from what Albus told her and also from Severus' lack of comment on the Potter girl's knowledge in his domain of knowledge.

Then came her personality and this was where Minerva couldn't understand how the girl could be so different from her parents. Granted she had a very harsh childhood and she faced many horrors that even adults would flee from rather than face. Granted she already faced death on many occasions and she had to live all alone for two years in an old castle full of her family's memories and belongings remembering her constantly that she had none left in this world. But this didn't explain everything that seemed wrong with the girl.

She saw past the anger, the hatred and the distrust of the girl for everything that had caused harm to her in the past and she still could see that there was so much darkness in the heart of this very young girl. She could feel from the girl a constant aura of death and blood emanating from every pore of her skin. Adding to this the strange comportement of Albus towards the girl, what he told her about the origins of her wand and its allegiances, she couldn't stop herself not to trust the girl. She felt like beneath the skin of the Potter girl was crawling a dangerous malice and sickness that couldn't be cured.

She knew it was wrong of her, one of her teachers and adult figure to be so biased, but she couldn't help this feeling inside of that reminded her of Lord Voldemort in his youth. She had not been born when he was a student here, but she had seen the many memories of the Headmaster from his years at Hogwarts and she felt the same as Albus felt about the boy in the past, he already was something terrible at a very young age but very persuasive and deceiving keeping him away from all the attention that could have caused him to be surveyed by his teachers.

"I hope that I am wrong about you Miss Potter. I really hope to be." She sighed as she put the picture back into the drawer and returned to her copies.

* * *

_Two days later - Wednesday - Quidditch Pitt_

* * *

"Good morning everyone ! You are lucky for today is bright and still somewhat warm, this is a good start for a first flying lesson. Well everyone goes next to a broomstick and stick their hand above it and say : Up !" As Mrs Hooch said this, her own broomstick jumped on is own in her right hand. When they saw this, everyone began to try and get their broom to do the same with more or less success.

"Up !" Like this of Mrs Hooch, Lyria's broomstick flew in her hand without any protest and that made her smile as she felt the broom get agitated in her hand.

"Up ! Up ! Up !" Next to her, Daphne was getting exasperated with her own that was busy rolling all over the floor as if it was mocking her poor attempts at making him get off the ground.

"_You need to mean it. You need to be firm and show it that you are the boss"_ Giggled Lyria that had enough fun watching her best friend struggle for two minutes with an old broomstick.

"_I'm going to use it to clean the floor of my room if it doesn't come up here this instant Lyria, I swear !"_ As she threatened the broom of being used like a vulgar unenchanted item to wipe the dirt off the ground, it came right up in her hand in haste like it was afraid of the threat and that it even understood the underlying emotions of Daphne that had kept a completely neutral face since the beginning of the lesson.

"_See ? Not that complicated in the end. Well to be honest I don't think it will be useful to be good at flying before a long long time."_ Sighed Lyria as she looked thoughtfully at her own flying instrument before she had a frown on her face.

"_Are you saying this because there has never been a girl in the team since the creation of the inter-house quidditch cup ?"_ Said Daphne that did not seem to have any issue with the fact that no girl had the right to enter the team even if there was no official rules stating against it.

"_Yes, not that it really matters. Quidditch don't interest me this much, it seems really dangerous and time consuming for very little compensation. Moreover, the team doesn't seem to need any help as it won the cup the past four years."_ In the end, Lyria was right, no matter what, even if a girl was very talented at Quidditch in Slytherin, she would not be able to play because first, it was against the unspoken rules of Slytherin and it was very unladylike, and preparing themselves to become future proper lady was the goal of a majority of the female population of the snake house.

"_True. Let the boys have their fun and they will let us have ours. In the end they are quite good at it and it helps us win the house cup so it's all good."_ Agreed Daphne that was one hundred percent against the idea of even mounting in a broom in the first place as it was not proper and that she was quite afraid of heights.

"Very well ! Now at my whistle, you're going to kick off the ground, fly at roughly one meter high and go back on the floor after one or two second." As the professor said this, she blew her whistle and Neville Longbottom went in the air as asked to, not getting too much attention from the teacher first. However, after two second, his broomstick went crazy and he began to fly everywhere in the courtyard, going higher and higher before he percuted a wall and fell from his broom, four meters from the ground, breaking his right wrist and collarbone in the process.

"Tutut, don't move your arm poor boy. It's broken obviously… I'm going to take mister Longbottom to the infirmary, everyone stay firmly on the ground ! If I see even the shadow of a broomstick in the air, the one riding it will be expelled before he had the chance to say quidditch !" At this moment, she went off to the infirmary to seek the help of Mrs Pomfrey, the nurse of the school in order to take care of the young injured gryffindor boy.

When Mrs Hooch was out of sight, Lyria saw from the corner of her eye Draco pick something up from the floor where the fat but kind gryffindor fell minutes ago. She turned her head to better see what it was that made him smile like a cheshire cat, and it turned to be a remembrall, a small round glass sphere that had the ability to created smoke, white or red, depending if you had forgotten something or not.

She felt that troubles where incoming as Malfoy came back to them, with Crabbe and Goyle alongside him, with even bigger and goofy smiles on their monkey faces. She sighed and did as if she hadn't see anything, not wanting to attract any more attention and trouble from those of her house in the near future. She was nothing for the moment and no one would help her against someone as influential and powerful as the Malfoy heir. He may be a big mouth and an insufferable little brat that was acting like a peacock but she couldn't deny that he was magically powerful and that his family name held even more power.

She was not one to pick up a fight when she had not even the slightest chance of winning. That was one of the reasons why she was not in the house of the braves : Gryffindor, because she was not brave, nor foolish, nor chivalrous enough to defend someone that she had no link or affection to and that she not be able to protect even if she wanted to.

Daphne must have had the same reasoning because she too, turned her back to the laughing Malfoy that was bragging about the fact that he was going to help Longbottom improve his flying skills as he flew high in the air and threw very far away the remembrall towards one of the tower of the castle. Lyria and Daphne shared a pointed look and nodded their head.

"_This git is really going to make us all pass a nice year with his shitty attitude towards the gryffindor. You can be sure that because we did nothing, which was the right decision to make, we will be plagued by the reputation of being a part of Malfoy's group."_ Daphne said as she cautiously analysed the situation they were in, as she looked at Ronald Weasley and Dean Thomas punch Crabbe and Goyle in the face before they jumped on Malfoy to "make him pay" as they screamed seconds before the beginning of the fight.

As they began to fist fight, Blaise and Theodore pushed the two gryffindor from a bleeding Draco and red faced Crabbe and Goyle, that had been trying to beat the hell out of the gold and red clad boys and protect Draco from incoming punches and kicks at the same time. Blaise was trying to calm down the two bodyguards of Malfoy while Alix was doing the same with Ron and Dean that were still fuming despite having a bloody nose and arcade for Ron and a broken lips for Dean.

Theodore however, was whipping some blood from his fingers with a handkerchief as he looked calculatingly at the fighters from both sides. If Lyria had to be honest, Theo was the one that was scaring her the most from all the Slytherin of her year. He had this expression and this aura that was indecipherable, this coldness that seemed to be too natural to be faked like Daphne's one. When she was looking at him, she had the strange impression that the boy was constantly analyzing everyone and everything like he expected something to happen and needed to calculate his odds to get out of a dangerous situation and take advantage of each situations in order to get the better out of him for himself.

To Lyria, and from what Daphne told her, Theo was most certainly the most slytherin ish from them all, calculating, selfish, cold, ambitious and opportunist. Malfoy may seem to be the leader from an exterior point of view but in only five days, she had the chance to witness on many occasions how in the end, in each conflict in the common room and outside of it, Theo was the one that was benefiting the most from every issues they had.

As she was staring at Theo, he seemed to have sensed it as he looked at her and narrowed his eyes and made a lopsided smile that send chill through her spine, making her turn her head and go next to Daphne in order to seek her warmth and security. Daphne immediately sensed her agitation and placed her hand on her shoulder and talked to her in their mind to calm her the best as she could.

* * *

_In the evening - First Year Girl's common room_

* * *

The girls were all there in the sofas and as Daphne, Millicent and Pansy were talking about aristocratic fashion and all the things that interested the young lady that they were. On the other side of the water column and in the other sofa, were Lyria and Tracey, the former was reading the book that the Headmaster gave her about the asiatic most prominent magical plants while the latter was reading what seemed to be a stack of letters.

"I tell you Daphne, the mermaid dress style is the most popular at the moment, my mom bought one not later than last week for the late summer ball organised by the minister. Your mother was totally wrong with her empire dress ! And it was orange ! Orange ! This is so unlady like to wear such a vibrant color at a formal ball. When my mother told her this, she said that it was something that was quite refined back in russia." Was arguing Pansy with Daphne about a ball that the Parkinson and the Greengrass attended before the beginning of the scholar year.

"I told you Pansy that my mother comes from Russia and that the aristocratie back there is very different from here. They are still really influenced by the ancient muggle world and they never accepted the rise to power of the USSR and thus they still adopt the mode that was in effect in the 19th century. She was not trying to be aggressive with the orange of her dress and for the form of it, it was fine !" Countered Daphne, making Lyria roll her eyes at this argument about such a petty subject.

"Don't you have anything else to talk about that fashion you three ? Or at least you two as Millicent doesn't seem to be as much as you into this conversation, isn't that right Milli ?" Asked Lyria with a sigh getting a sympathetic look from the strong girl that did not care about fashion as well but that had bared the subject for the sake of Pansy that treated her like her lady of company.

"No one asked you to listen nor share your thoughts Potter. This discussion is between proper pureblood and not filthy half-blood like you ! You should remember that you are not of the same status as us Potter, if you know what's best for you. You don't want me to tell Draco that you disturb your betters in their entertaining activities, do you ?" Spatted Pansy with all the haughtiness that she could muster as she felt so superior compared to Lyria making the blood of the vampire girl boil in her body. Yet, she stayed calm and turned her head back to her book.

"You are right, sorry Pansy." Apologized the Potter heiress through gritted teeth as she was trying to control the cold rage that was burning inside of her. Yet she showed nothing of her inner turmoil to avoid problems. As she was beginning to calm down, she felt another source of anger inside her that wasn't calming down, however, it felt foreign to her. After thinking about it for two seconds, she understood that it was Daphne's anger that was leaking into her as they were both in a state of low control of their emotions.

"_It's okay Daphne… Let her be for now… I am patient, one day I will have my revenge… I can wait, one, two or three years is nothing to me… I've waited eight years to be free from the Dursley's, I can wait another eight to have my revenge… So calm down, there is nothing to worry or be angry about."_ Admitted Lyria to her blonde friend that was now staring at her with a gaze of steel, that began to melt into the usual unexpressive and cold one that she was wearing to foul the others into thinking that she was a cold and haughty girl that was above everyone and that wished not to be disturbed by lower pureblood.

So far, this had helped her not to get bothered by the boys of her age and the older ones were too much afraid of her brother to dare lay a finger or talk badly to her even though the siblings had no affection for each other, quite the contrary. However, in good slytherin, the both of them kept their respective feelings for themselves and showed a somewhat united front to keep a good profile for their family image of nice and perfect pureblood family.

"_One day we will show her her true place ! But you are right for now we have to endure."_

"_One day…"_

"Potter. I'm going to bed and I don't want you to awaken me during my sleep by you entering the room so come to the room and stay there to continue reading. You can do whatever you want while in the room as long as you don't awake me." This was Tracey that had talked to Lyria this time as she had gotten up and went to the door.

"Yeah ok. I don't care reading in the room." This was no big deal to Lyria as she had no real intention to stay in their little common room with Pansy. She got up and said a little goodnight before she followed the redhead girl in their room.

"What are you playing at Potter ?" Said Tracey as she closed the door behind Lyria and looked with a gaze of steel at the Potter heiress.

"What are you talking about ? Didn't you want to go to bed ? Or was it just a lie to get me here alone in order to talk about whatever you want to talk about ?" Inquired Lyria as she had gotten her wand out and had pointed it at the Davis girl's face.

"Calm down Potter ! I just want to talk so stop playing the tough girl now !" Spatted the redhead girl as she swiftly pushed her wand from her face with her hand, with no resistance from Lyria.

"Talk then." Replied with the same firmness and coldness as before only getting the other girl angrier in the process. That was what she wanted, from what she had read about duels during the holidays, an angry enemy that was not in control of their emotion was predictable and easier to deal with. As she nearly had no spell in her repertory, she was bound to use dirty methods such as use one of her small perfumes or poisons that were not very strong in order to win a duel if it was to happen.

"Don't use this tone with me Potter, I'm not Pansy and I won't hesitate to put you back in your place if I have to and I won't wait to do it and whine to Draco and the boys to do it ! Now you will listen to me carefully… I don't know what you are trying to do in defying openly Parkinson and being overly close to Greengrass but you need to strengthen your guard and be more observant and careful around everyone in this house… If you want to get yourself beaten up and bullied for eight years, then it's the way to go but if you have even the tiniest bit of self preservation then you will listen to my advice and keep a low profile until the day you graduate because you will never have friends here nor any support being a Potter… If this was clear enough for you to understand then you have the choice to listen to my advice or stay the way you are and wait for troubles to find you.

"Davis… I don't know why you try to give me advice when you clearly don't care about anyone but yourself…" As she said this, Lyria threwat her face a pouch with some green powder in it. When the powder made contact with Tracey's eyes, mouth and nose, she began to have an urticaria reaction. "Silencio !" Lyria fired the spell before Tracey make any sound because of the huge discomfort and the growing pain she was feeling at the moment.

"I want you to know something Davis… I am way more resourceful than you think and I can handle myself against pretty much anyone my age so your advice is useless… Moreover, if someone from the upper years decide to give me a beating, that I keep a low profile and obey won't change a thing as I wouldn't be able to defend myself anyway… Let me give you an advice this time : Don't mess with me and don't threaten me anymore, am I clear ? I tried to give you many opportunities to get friendly with me and I wanted to be your friend but if there is no such thing as friend in slytherin then I guess that you will have to get out of my way if you don't want to be hurt." After she said this, Lyria went to the bathroom to prepare herself for the night as Tracey was still clenching and scrapping at her face to ease the urticaria, only to worsen it. It would anyway wear off after ten minutes as it was not a strong powder.

When Lyria got out of the bathroom, she saw the redhead in her bed trying to get some sleep now that the effect had stopped, her face red and puffy from her own hand aggressing her face. Lyria looked at her no more than a second and got into her bed. She tried to play it as if she was too strong and cold to care about the fate of the girl but she found out that now that her anger had vanished, she felt guilt about her actions. The girl had only wanted to warn her of the dangers of her attitude and she ended getting angry at her and right out bullied her the same way Dudley would have after one of her humiliating remark about his weight, to get back at him.

She felt no better than her bully of a cousin and this saddened her. In the end however, she felt that she had done the right thing to assure herself some respect from the redhead girl that thought her to be a useless girl that knew nothing about magic because of the rumors of her being in the muggle world for all her childhood. Despite her feeling of power, her mind was not at ease as she feared backfire from her roommate during the night when she would not be able to defend herself.

She did not sleep well nor enough this night as she was constantly being awoken by every little sound in the room, fearing for her life. She was well aware that after her power show, the other girl would wait for the right moment to strike back at her but she also knew that the other was not dumb enough to confront her directly so that was why the night seemed to be the perfect time for reprisal. She swore to remedy to the situation and have something that could protect her during the night from her now 'dangerous' roommate.

* * *

_1st of October - Great Hall - 20h00_

* * *

Lyria and all the student body was enjoying their meal at various hours between seven and nine in the evening as only during special occasions, all the student body would be united to eat at the same hour and enjoy a feast.

This had been a month now thad the first year had been at Hogwarts and so far, Lyria was very happy about her curriculum, the subjects she had to study were all good in their own way despite her liking some more than others and her not liking some teachers like the old cat McGonagall that was at the top of her least favorite teachers. She was beginning to show her prowess in potion and herbology where she would just be two notch above everyone one at each test and practical assignments.

Despite the fact that professor Snape didn't like her, he had been true to his word and had been nothing but professional towards her, giving her the marks she deserved and was behaving like an expert of potion making giving her astuces and showing her what she was doing wrong. He had been so far one of the teacher that she was liking the most, as a teacher, not as human being, but like her Head of House, Lyria had been cordial with him and had not once got unerved at the man. Someone seeing theme from the exterior only saw a teacher and a student that shared the same passion for potion making and that were trying their best in their own role.

As for herbology, Mrs Sprout had been wary about her being in slytherin at first and had been a bit harsh towards her, but after the first lesson had ended and she had the time to analyse Lyria a little bit, the plump woman had completely changed her mind and behaviour and had invited Lyria to the greenhouses on the afternoon of each saturday to take care of some of the plants of the higher years in order to broaden her knowledge. She had began to grow quite fond of the nice and simple teacher of herbology, she was like a master to her and she was the apprentice, absorbing all the knowledge she could from the woman and in return giving her the satisfaction of teaching to a very eager and capable student.

In the other classes, she was good but not extraordinary, the teachers were praising her good work yet none of them were ecstatic about her performances. The only professor that did not seemed to be satisfied with her was her defence against the dark arts teacher, professor Quirell a young man with dark brown hair, a crooked nose and piercing brown eyes that looked at her with a certain suspicion in his gaze. He was a teacher that was very well versed in the defence against curses, hexes and jinxes, that had fought against dark wizards in Croatia and Serbia during his eighties as an international Auror but that had retired after he had an encounter with a vampire that scared him for the rest of his life.

Yet he was still a very good teacher with his head on his shoulders and the flame of his youth seemed to still brightly burn in his eyes. However, this knowledge of his and his expertise in the defence against the dark arts made him suspicious about Lyria for some reasons, as if he had known that she was a vampire despite Dumbledore having said that he would not put anyone in the confidence about her's and Daphne's situation.

Talking about Dumbledore, she was at the moment, looking at him talk with professor Snape about something that seemed to concern her as the black haired man looked at her with a firm gaze as the Headmaster was talking to him. After five good minutes of discussion, Snape got up and marched towards the table of his house and stopped behind Lyria and Daphne.

"Miss Potter, Miss Greengrass… In my office in ten minutes. Do no be late." And just like that he was gone out of the great hall in his distinctive wave of black fabric flowing behind him as he walked out.

Lyria and Daphne looked at each other and shrugged before they returned to their meal and quickly finished it in order to not be late for their unscheduled appointment. Once they were done, they too went out of the great hall, went down the stairs on their right in the direction of the dungeon where professor Snape's office was.

They made it just in time to not be out of the time limit given by their Head of House and Daphne knocked two times on the door and waited for an answer.

_"What do you think he wants from us ?"_ She asked.

_"Don't know… Maybe it has something to do with our last assignment."_ Said Lyria, talking about their joint work on the bezoard, that they had to give him this morning in class.

_"Maybe you're right"_ As she said that, the door opened itself and they shared a look, then a small smile at the cliche scene they were living and entered the room before the door closed itself behind them.

"I suppose you know by now why you are here tonight, don't you Miss Potter, Miss Greengrass ?" Resounded the deep and calm voice of the Potion Master that was standing in front of a cauldron that was emitting a strong smell that made both of the girls excited and hungry for some reason they didn't know.

"No sir, we don't ?" Replied Daphne and Lyria at the same time.

"Pity… You two are here because of your special… Condition if I may say so. Professor Dumbledore put me in the confidence and I must say that I am quite a bit intrigued yet not surprised. I was suspecting something about your mother for quite a long time now Miss Greengrass and I must say that now that I know about her true nature it is only natural for me to have felt her strange aura. As for you Miss Potter it really blowed my mind to hear that Saint James Potter was the descendant of a Vampire family." He growled to the two of them still having his back facing them. As he turned, he had two big vials with hot blood in it and he passed them to the girls.

"Thanks…" They said now understanding the reason they were here and why their teacher knew about their nature.

"You will drink this here as to not draw attention to you from the outside as wanted by the Headmaster and you will tell those that ask you why you were summoned that it was about the assignment you gave me this morning. It was a very good one like the precedent if they ask." Said Snape as he turned his back to them as to avoid looking at the disgusting display of young girls drinking blood with gusto. He scrunched his nose at the thought and gulped some saliva in disgust then turned around once again when he heard them place back the vials on his desk. "This really makes me want to throw up" He muttered to himself but let it out too loud letting by this mean his two snakes student hear his words and let their head down to avoid his judging gaze.

"Now off you go. Directly to the common room Miss Greengrass. As for you Miss Potter, the Headmaster wants to see you. The password is chupa chup. Good night." He dismissed them and waited for them to get out. Once they were, he looked at a small picture in his pocket that was displaying Lily Potter's face, unmoving, as it was a muggle one. "How could you marry the offspring of some ill vampire Lily. Why did you choose Potter ? He was an arrogant and abusive prat playing the good gentleman with you and on top of that he was carrying the genes of a vampire and yet you married him and gave him a child… I can't understand what was going through your head sometimes Lily… I really can't…"

* * *

_Second corridor - Eastern Wing _

* * *

Lyria was now standing in front of the gargoyle statue that served as the entrance to the Headmaster's office and she found that it was a long time since she had seen the old man. She was sincerely happy that he had summoned her as she missed their afternoon together and the books he gave her to read and interrogate on them along with his history and life lessons.

"Chupa chups." She gave the password and the gargoyle stepped aside to let her pass before going back in its place after she got on the staircase that started climbing by magic towards the top of the high tower in order to reach for the door of the office of the most powerful wizard still alive. Once the stairs stopped moving, she found herself in front of a huge spruce door with a golden knocking ring on it but before she could take it and use it to announce her arrival, she heard the voice of the Headmaster.

"Come in Miss Potter, come in. I was waiting for you." He chuckled and looked up from his papers as Lyria entered the room with a small pout on her face.

"How ?" She simply asked making him smile and push his papers sideway and place his phoenix feather away from him in order to have a clean desk for the little meeting.

"How did I know you were outside the office ? Do you want the truth or the embellished story ?" Smiled the old man with mirth in his twinkling eyes, making the black haired girl snort and sit on the plush chair that was meant for her to sit on.

"Both if possible. Like that I will be able to know which one I prefer to believe despite it being the truth or not." Replied Lyria that accepted the little sweet that the old man offered her. She liked his sweet a lot and it made her remember some afternoon she passed with the old man in her rotunda watching the fish in the pond and eating sweets.

"Well the latter is that I felt you magic from outside here because of my fabulous magical prowess and my awareness of my surroundings. As for the truth… The gargoyle is connected to this little object there and it glows when someone passes him, and I know the exact time it takes for the stairs to come all the way up." Chuckled Albus Dumbledore as he observed Lyria's face fight to not laugh.

"You really counted the time it took to get here ?" Giggled Lyria that thought it was a silly idea to do so as it had no particular importance other than surprise those that had an appointment with the Headmaster.

"That I did Lyria, that I did." He joined her in a good laugh and then he straightened his face a little bit, yet a smile still was on his face, and he continued. "So Lyria, how is your year going since the beginning of the year ?"

"You should already know the answer, don't you ? The professors all report to you what happens in the end, don't they ?" Replied Lyria that saw no need to tell him what he already knew.

"Indeed they do, but this was not my question Lyria… What the teachers tell me is important to some extent and tells me more about the academic matter and their personal opinion… What I asked you was how are you feeling at school, in your house and in class ? What classes do you prefer, what you like to do, if you are enjoying your year so far ? I want to hear it from your point of view. This is what really matters to me…" As he said that, his face was very serious and he showed her that he cared for her greatly and that her well being was indeed his priority.

"Well…" She started a bit shaken up by the show of care from her substitute grandfather figure. "It's been great so far, the teachers are good and sympathetic, they seem to care about us and their methods and pedagogy are good, I enjoy a great deal my lessons. As for my life in my house well… I won't lie Headmaster, it is not great so far. I am seen as some sort of undesired piece of dirt that has been missed by the caretaker of the house. They think of me as someone below them on all levels and it is sometimes a little bit hard to endure and stay quiet… Despite that I have a good friend in Daphne and I pass the majority of my time with her so it is liveable… I tried to make friend with some people outside of my house but it seems to be rather difficult as we are a little bit ostracized by the other houses and for good reasons that I understand despite them not being fair for every slytherin that didn't asked to be there…" Explained Lyria before she began to tell him about everything more in details and she saw that the Headmaster was paying great attention and that he was thinking and analysing the situation. When she finished talking, he sighed and took off his glasses and cleaned them up with a handkerchief.

"I'm happy that you enjoy what Hogwarts has to propose in terms of education and I'm equally happy to know that Miss Greengrass is such a good support for you. As for what happens between your house and the other three, it seems that my hands are tied up as it is a rivalry that last for centuries and that is commonly accepted by everyone and no one in the board of governors would let me change anything for the better or for the worse regarding this matter. For that I apologize." He said a little sad and tired. He leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling, sighed again and straightened in his throne-like chair. He looked at her with a fire burning in his eyes making Lyria flinch a little bit at the change of attitude but the aura he was projecting did not afraid her, rather it was warm and comforting her.

"However, about your mistreatment in your own house, I cannot change anything bluntly or openly as it would be seen as favoritism and we can't have that or it will raise suspicion about you. I can however help you in the shadow become someone that will not be the target of the attacks from the others. For that, Miss Potter, you will have to stay at the top of your class in order to avoid academical confrontation, as for those about your upbringing and you nature as a half-blood, you will be able to overpass them in their eyes the day you will be able to prove them that you are stronger than them. If I learned something from being an half-blood myself in my long life is that, you will never be their equal in their eyes, but you can gain a somewhat peace and compromise with them the moment you show them that they cannot do anything to you in any manner." Explained the old man.

"At your sixteenth birthday, you will become Lady Potter as both your parents are dead and you are the last Potter in line, thus meaning that you are by the law, their equal as a Lady of a Most Ancient and Noble House. In terms of academic you will surpass them or be their equal, meaning that they can do nothing to you in this regard either. This only let one other field in which you need to show them that you are better than them and it is in strength, pure and raw strength. I had a hard time achieving the first protection because of the Dumbledore family having been cast out of the pureblood circle because of our poor situation and the trial of my father, but I had the two others. Yet even being one of the strongest and wisest wizard of my time, I was acknowledged as a great wizard but not respected as a pureblood Lord or Lady that were weaker and less intelligent than me. It is only at the moment of Grindelwald's defeat and my ascension as the supreme Mugwump of the ICW that I acquired the respect and high regards that I now have from the purebloods. Yet, the day my positions of political power will tremble or shatter, I will go back to being only a powerful wizard of which all the pureblood can joke and ignore as they wish and be treated like dirt." As he explained this, Dumbledore made a clear point to Lyria, she had to become strong in order to obtain peace from them otherwise she would always be looked upon as a weakling and as nothing more than dirt under their shoes.

From what the Headmaster told her, she could very well live a happy and peaceful life without obtaining the three requirement of respect from the pureblood, but she would never be someone that peoples would listen to and take into account as important or relevant in their society. If she wanted to be someone and be remembered as someone in the eyes of the magical society, she had to gather all three requirements and maybe more, as she thought that the Headmaster only told her the main conditions that would gain her peace and respect.

"I understand Headmaster. I will leave you for tonight you will." She said as she bowed her head and smiled at him for his counsel. He returned her smile and wave to her to give her his authorisation to go back to her dorm as it was beginning to be late.

* * *

**End note**** :** I hope you enjoyed this chapter and you will consider leaving a review, favourite this story or me.

As for the chapter, I hope you didn't got bored because of the lack of action but don't worry, some fun will arrive in the next chapter, with some unexpected clashes, but also the begining of the second semester and then something that will hype you up I hope : the dueling class.

Until next time farewell.


End file.
